St Nightfalls Academy
by C.N96
Summary: Aria Lestiva is 17 when she is attacked. After she is saved by a man named Jackson Miller, she has to adjust to a new life restricted by the rules of her new home, St Nightfalls Academy. Events take a turn for the worst and Aria and Jackson have to put their new found affection on hold. Arias life will never be the same... A descriptive tale of friendship, loyalty and love.
1. The Beginning

A young girl is running through the woods surrounding Forks, WA. Shes being chased by something... or someone. She can barely breathe, she just knows she has to run. She dodges past trees and bushes, sticks crack under her shoes. Her blond hair flicks in her face, making it hard for her to see. Suddenly, shes dragged backwards by her hair, and pain spikes through her neck. She screams, but is quickly exhausted by it. She claws around her, not able to see. Her vision goes black, and she hears the deep whisper of words into her ear as she goes unconscious.

When she wakes she's not with it, she cannot move or speak. She looks up and sees trees; she is moving parallel to the ground. She can hear heavy breathing, but it is slow... too slow. She is kinda confused, and she passes out again.

This times she wakes and she's passing under a brick arch. She gets the strength to roll her head to the side. This is when she notices she's being carried, but she is not scared. She sees the old Gothic looking building. She hears talking but she isn't understanding it. She sees people, crowded around in small groups. She can't process what is happening. People nearby begin to talk.

'What is she doing here, she can't be here' A woman says in a deep tone.

'She's been drained, I found her on the boundary line' a deep soothing voice replies.

'Take her back' she yells at the man

'She's dying!'

The girl stares into the distance zoned out.

The woman, she has dark eyes and dark long hair appears in front of her face. She does not blink. The woman touches the holes on the girls neck. She is intrigued by the girls face. She stands and glares at the man carrying her.

'This goes against all I believe in' she says sternly

'If I take her back and human authorities find her they'll be asking questions. She was on our territory...' he says quickly

The woman snarls. As the girl fades out of consciousness yet again, she hears  
'Take her into medical'


	2. The Discovery

The girl wakes properly. Her head is pounding. She is startled when she realises she's on her side in a bed in a white room. She has tubes in her arms and hands. She examines the roof, then the walls, the door. _I'm_ _in_ _a_ _hospital_. She lifts her hand and rubs it. I need to get out. That thing will get me. She rolls slightly, and attempts to pull the tubes out of her hands.  
'I wouldn't do that'  
She jumps' realising on the opposite of the room is a man, sitting in a chair. He is straight in his chair with one knee bent and crossed over the other. The girl says nothing. _This_ _is_ _fucking_ _weird_ _I_ _need_ _to_ _leave._ The do not break eye contact. The girl slowly continues to pull the tubes out of her hand.  
'Those are the only things keeping you alive' he catches her.  
She turns her head away. She reaches for her neck, and feels a bandage on it. She rubs it, confused, and tries to peel it off without luck.  
The man stands and walks around to the opposite side of the bed.  
'Don't touch it' he reaches for her hand. She jolts away from him.  
'Don't touch me'.

He laughs 'Ohh, she speaks' he smiles. She stares at him, her hand over her neck.  
He tilts his head. 'Considering I saved your life, you're very hostile towards me' he steps back.  
she remembers him coming towards her. The trees and the arch. The hunter. She looks down, embarrassed. He walks towards his chair.  
'Th-thankyou'  
He looks over his shoulder and decides to walk back to her bedside.  
'You're most welcome.' She feels a little more comfortable now.  
'I need to know your name' he says, and she frowns at him.  
'You won't be leaving here until I know your name so you can finish the papers.'  
She looks down. 'Aria. My name is Aria Lestiva'  
'Great. I'm Jackson... Jackson Miller' he says as he grabs her hand and pulls the tubes out. _He_ _tricked_ _me_.  
He smiles at here. 'I'll be back in a moment'  
He turns and exits the room.  
She's alone. She relaxes back against the bed. She closes her eyes for only a few seconds when the door flies open. The dark haired woman struts through the door. Aria remembers her and is very intimidated by her. She stiffens in her bed, as the dark haired woman stops at the end of the bed, Jackson a few feet behind her.  
'Aria, lovely to meet you under these _proper_ circumstances...' she glares at Jackson.  
'Hi' she squeaks it out. Jackson chuckles.  
'I'm sure you have a lot of questions for me' she beams. 'I'm Victoria Macalister' Aria briefly looks at Jackson.  
'Um, yeah, I need to know where I am and how to get back to the city.'  
The womans face softens. Jackson looks down.  
'You're at St. Nightfall Academy. Im the Headmistress. Youre in our medical centre after your incident. There is, however, no way back to the city. That's your old life. You will be a student here now.' She smiles apologetically.  
Aria is upset and confused, her eyes are welling up.

She does a crazy laugh. 'That's stupid! I have to get home I've been out past my curfew. My parents and my friends... I have to go!'  
Aria gets restless and flies out of bed and tries to leave. Jackson is in front of her in a instant. He grabs her forearms and stops her from moving. She is shocked, with tears falling down her cheeks. _He_ _moved_ _so_ _fast_. She brakes down and falls to the ground. Jackson kneels with her and she is hysterical in his arms. The headmistress walks to the door. She faces them before she leaves, making eye contact with Jackson.

'When she's calm, take her to the Mahogany dorm.' she says to Jackson, and he nods. He faces back to Aria, who is still crying.  
'I understand this is a lot to take in'.  
'So you're just not gonna let me leave? You can't do that. That's against basic human rights...'  
'Yes it is'  
she stops crying, and looks up at Jackson  
'You can't hold me here. You saved me so take me home. Please...'  
'You know I can't do that' he replies smoothly  
Desperately she cries 'But you can! Just show me the way!'  
'You had a blood transfusion. It saved your life. You would be dead without it'  
'That's got nothing to do with me leaving.' she responds quickly  
'On the contrary it does. You're part of this school now. You will live here and study here.'  
she feels defeated. _'_no.' she sighs  
_I'll_ _escape! _she thinks.  
'The grounds are surrounded by 10 foot fences above ground, and 6 foot below. So unfortunately there's no way to escape.'  
This is the craziest shit ever.  
Aria has heard about the academy, but who knew they'd hold her hostage. Bad things will happen to her if she stays; she can feel it. But she can feel something else too. Shes hungry and she feels different. She gives up on this topic for now, she needs food and water.  
'What's the time?' Aria looks around for a clock. Jackson looks at his wrist,  
'Just after 4pm.'

Aria is confused. 'It was just after 4pm when I was getting... chased' she slows.  
'The following day.'  
'What!? Ive been here a day?' She realises why she's so hungry.  
'Yes. Anyway, the headmistress has asked me to show you to your room.' Jackson helps lift up aria. She looks at him for a little too long and he suddenly let's go of her arms like they were hot.  
'Come with me'


	3. The Fight

He walks out of the room and to the left, followed by Aria. They walk until they reach what looks like a lobby. It is flashy and expensive, with white elegant sofas and glass coffee tables. Fake plants and two storey glass windows included, with a glassed-in reception desk opposite. Aria looks around as she follows him, astounded. Their shoes make slight squeaking sounds on the marble floor There are two flights of tiled stairs, which they walk up. The top is of the stairs is a carpeted corridor. The corridor is long with couches and fake plants, strategically spaced out along it. Wooden double doors line the white walls. The first door they walk past has a window with wooden blinds. They walk past slowly. It is silent. They continue walking when he looks over his shoulder and slows.  
'This is the Headmistresses office. If you have to come here you've either been really good or really bad. I assume you know the tiled room was the lobby correct?'  
'Yeah I figured.' Aria shuffles along.

He chuckles and keeps walking. They get to the very end of the corridor before they stop in front of mahogany double doors with black handles. Aria looks at Jackson as he turns them heavily. He pushes both doors open enough to just walk through.  
'After you' he signals to walk in and Aria does. She gets only a few steps in the room before she stops, astonished. It isn't called the mahogany room for no reason. King size canopy bed and two night stands, huge dressing cupboard, kitchenette, bathroom, wood fire place and two glass doors leading to two small balconies. Jackson walks to the kitchen and opens the fridge, while Aria stands still.

'Well...' Jackson says, puzzled.  
Aria is startled but looks at him.  
'...There's only a frozen meal in here but its better than nothing, it'll be restocked tomorrow'  
'Restocked?' Aria frowns  
'Yes, the maids clean and restock your kitchenette everyday.'  
'Wow this place is loaded.' aria mumbles to herself.  
'What?'  
'Oh... nothing'  
She walks to the bed and strokes the mahogany frame.  
'This is beautiful. Really, it is. But I can't stay. Its weird and... not right' Aria shakes her head.  
Jackson turns from his spot next to the fridge. 'That doesnt matter. If you want to live, staying here is your best option.' His face is hard and uninviting.

'How could you possibly know that? You dont even know me...' Aria is flustered

'Because...' Jackson cuts her off 'You are reckless and unable to look after yourself; If you could, you wouldn't be here.'

Arias mouth hangs open. How dare he say that!

'Excuse me! You dont know the slightest thing about me! I can take care of myself, I'm not a immature little child.' She spits back at him.

'Then why would you be in the forest at dusk? That contradicts your statement.' Jackson replies smoothly before moving toward the fire. He picks up a box of matches from coffee table in front of it and flicks it against its packaging. Once lit, he tosses it onto the wood already placed in the fire place and it catches immediately. While he is doing this, Aria thinks about what to say next.

Aria goes to speak, but is interrupted by him again.

'Why were you even there?' he asks.

She thinks hard. 'I- I cant remember...'

Jackson looks at her and shakes his head. '_Hes and asshole' _Aria thinks.

He puffs out a breath of air and continues, 'Anyway, even if I wanted to let you leave, the Headmistress has forbidden it. So, if you really are as mature as you seem to think, then wake up and realise that this is your only option.' He carefully folds his arms.

She glares at him, disgusted. She moves and sits on the edge of the bed, her elbows resting on her knees and head propped up on her hands. She sits like that for a few moments before Jackson speaks again.

'You look funny sitting like that.' He says, his tone is serious. Aria looks up at him.

'Fuck you...' she says, moving out of her "funny" position. She stands and continues, '...You're such an obnoxious...'

Suddenly, the headmistress appears in the doorway. She coughs a little to get their attention. Aria stops speaking.

'Hello there you two. Its good to see you've settled in Aria'  
'Yeah, definitely.' Aria smiles sarcastically at Jackson but his facial expression doesn't change.

The Headmistress continues, 'Jackson there's a formal banquet on tonight to introduce Aria to the warriors and some of the executives. Would you please get her ready for a 6pm start?' She smiles sweetly at Jackson, who finally grimaces.  
'Uh, sure thing...' Jackson says, feeling awkward.  
'I'll see you at dinner!' she waves and leaves.  
'There's a dinner for me?' Arias in awe.  
'Apparently so. Dinners are quite fun and it'll be too for you to meet everyone, especially the Warriors' he looks at her before he walks to the cupboard.  
'There are warriors? That's a bit medieval don't you think?' Aria rests her back against one of the bedposts, her back turned to him.  
'Its just a name I suppose. The fittest men in the school form a sort of leadership council.' He says, not looking at her.  
'Yeah I guess it does, its still a weird though.' She says.

Jackson reaches the large wardrobe and pulls the doors open  
'I guess this dinner is okay...' Aria say, her back still turned.  
'yeah?' he says.  
'Yeah. I haven't eaten in a day so...'

He cuts her off again. 'We only have half an hour so let's get going.'


	4. The Dinner

Jackson coughs and Aria spins around. She sees the wardrobe open, and her eyes widen.  
'Its a formal event so you'll need to wear something like this...' he pulls out a red floor length sparkly dress with a deep v neckline. The bottom flares out.

'Holy shit!' Aria says a little too loudly. 'Thats not mine!'

'Of course its not...' Jackson laughs at her. 'The maids stocked this while you were in medical. You didn't exactly bring clothes with you, so you will wear what ever is in here.' he gestures to the hanging clothes.  
'I actually get to wear this? This is mine?' He looks down at her.  
'Yes, this is yours' he smiles slightly.

Aria takes a few steps forward, before stopping. She glares at him cautiously.

'You know I'm not staying. I'm eating before i go.'

He laughs. 'Of course, Miss Lestiva...' He says sarcastically '...After you taste the food, you will not wish to leave.'

_Is he joking around? He was such a dick like five minutes ago..._

Jackson holds up the dress higher. 'Hurry up. You're hungry remember?'

Aria sighs and walks toward him, snatching the dress from his hand. She withdraws her arm quickly when she feels the temperature of his skin and quickly walks back to the bed. She lays it down.  
'Its appropriate to wear heels at all times in this school if you wish.' He says as she unzips the dress.  
Aria looks over her shoulder at him, only for a few moments, before turning back to her dress. She looks down and slides of her shoes without touching them. She sighs.  
'I'm very pleased to see youre comfortable now.' Jackson says as he walks to the door.  
She turns to him.  
'Why do you talk so formally?' she says just before he leaves her room.  
'I... I don't know its just the way I talk' he laughs. Its forced.  
'Its "funny"' she mocks him. He tilts his head.  
'I'll let you get dressed.' Jackson maneuvers around the open door.  
'Don't leave me!' she says quickly.  
'You're getting dressed, I'm only going outside.' he says smoothly  
'Oh... I thought you were going away . Like, far away...' Aria is embarrassed.  
'Come out when youre ready and I'll take you to the dinning hall' the door closes behind him.  
Aria slips on her dress and heads into the bathroom. She sees little containers of make-up with several brushes and combs and hair items spread out neatly on the counter. A small crystal glass sits next to the basin, filled with a toothbrush and paste. She finds a few hair pins and a hair elastic, and she ties up her hair and brushes her teeth. She also applies some of the make up supplied. _I_ _wonder_ _where_ _all_ _the_ _other_ _students_ _stay, and if their make-up is provided to them too..._

When she is finished, she walks back to the wardrobe and fishes out some silver heels. She slides them on and heads to the door. She opens it to find Jackson in a black suit and tie. She unknowingly looks him up and down.

'Like what you see Miss. Lestiva?' he grins at her.

'Oh, shut up!' Aria leaves the room and struts down the corridor angrily.

_I did not just do that..._  
'You're aware you have no idea where you're going correct?' he calls out to her.

She stops and puts her hands on her hips.  
'Rightio, Mister Miller, lead the way...' he laughs a little as he passes her. They walk together down the stairs and past the medical center where Aria arrived. They soon come to a corridor filled with marble pillars and paintings on walls.  
'I admit, this school is incredible.' Aria says.  
'It is. This is the warriors corridor. Their dorms and common room are along here.' They walk past all the doors., and Aria examines each one. The patterns on each vary slightly. Jackson points to a white double door.  
'This is my room.' Jackson says quietly.

Aria looks up at him, shocked.  
'You're a warrior?'  
'Did i forget to mention? My bad... ' he grins and walks along. Aria shakes her head and continues walking too.

_He is joking with me..._  
They continue down the corridor until they reach the end. More double doors are in front of them, with intricate leaves and gold plated door handles. Jackson extends his bent arm to Aria.  
'Are you ready for your big debut?' he looks down at her  
She sighs 'No, not really. But I need food.' Jackson laughs. He turns a handle with one hand and pushes the door open. They glide arm in arm into the massive dinning hall. The dinning room has wooden floorboards and panelled walls. A massive dinning table lined with elegant dinning chairs is placed in the middle of the room. There is music playing and tens of people with glasses in hands mingle in the room. They take a few steps into the room and stop walking. They hear the headmistress call to them from across the hall. She walks over  
'You're finally here! You both look great' Victoria smiles at Aria and she returns the smile.  
She nods at Jackson then walks over to the table, picks up a spoon and gently taps her glass. Everyone turns and the room goes silent. Its like a scene of a movie.  
'Welcome everyone. I've called this dinner to welcome our new and valuable student to the academy.'  
_Valuable?_  
'She comes to us under rather unfortunate circumstances, but it is a pleasure to have you here.' she smiles at aria.

Jackson hands her Aria a glass. Victoria raises her own toward her.  
'A toast! To Miss Aria Lestiva!' Everyone mumbles and chinks their glasses together. Everyone turns back to their groups and the room is filled with hundreds of conversations again. Aria is starving and thirsty, she sniffs her glass. Wine.  
'Jackson I can't drink this...' she attempts to hand him back the glass.  
'Yes you can'  
'I'm seventeen, its...'  
'And im eighteen and its totally fine for you to drink this. We don't care about rules like that here...' He chuckles as he sips from his own glass.  
'I've been drinking it for three years now...'  
'Chief!'

A man calls from across the room. He's tall as well, with blonde shaggy hair. He looks like a stereotypical Australian surfer, but his face is extremely mature. Hes probably the same age as Jackson; if not older.  
'Chief?' Aria gives Jackson a questioning look. The man is close now and interrupts her.  
'Hey Lucas, how was the trip' Jackson asks him  
'It was great, we were at the edge of the boundary lines and were hunt...' Jackson gives him a look, and the man reconsiders his story.  
'...I mean... having a fun time.'

Jackson rolls his eyes. 'Aria this is Lucas, he's one of the warriors.'  
'Its a pleasure to meet you!' Lucas grins widely. Aria says nothing to him, instead turns to Jackson and whispers.  
'You're the boss of all the warriors? The Chief?'

He looks down at her. 'We can discuss this later okay. You have people to meet.' Aria finally smiles at Lucas.  
'Lucas, we have others to talk to but I'd love to hear the end of your story tomorrow.'  
'Absolutely. Kai and the rest of the guys are in the gallery' he smiles at Jackson  
'Thanks'  
'See you around, Aria' Lucas winks at her.  
'Okay... bye' Aria blows him off. Lucas walks off.  
They head off past the long table to an adjoining room.  
'I'm starving when can we eat?' She asks.  
'Patience Aria, after we meet the guys.' They reach the gallery, which is full of massive portraits and men.  
'Jackson!' The boys chant together  
'Alright guys, shut up.' He shakes his head as they laugh. They stop in front of the circle of men.  
'Guys, this is Aria.' They all say hi or smile at her.  
Aria takes a breath. 'Hello, its lovely to meet you'

They're attractive. She blushes a little.  
'This is Kai, Julian, Heath and Finn' he points to each one as he says their name. She only remembers Kai, he's the most attractive, but he is dark and looks angry. Mysterious. She'll learn the rest of the names later

'Where are the others?' Jackson asks the guys.

'They're out' One of them says. He has olive skin and dark hair. He looks European. Aria thinks his name is Julian.  
Jackson goes to talk but a bell rings. Jackson directs Aria back to the table where she sits next to Jackson and Lucas. Waiters in black and white place food in front of them. Aria begins to eat as quickly but politely as possible. She sips her drink while the room is silent except for the tapping of knives and forks. It seems awkward. The other people at the table look like teachers. They're all incredibly beautiful, even though some look about 60 or 70 years old. Suddenly Victoria speaks.  
'Aria, I do hope your living arrangements are satisfactory'

Aria looks up and swallows her food quickly. She thinks of how to reply formally, but gives up.  
'Um, yes, my room is amazing. Thank you' she smiles and continues eating. Victoria nods, but Aria is embarrassed. Everyone continues to eat. After a while she overhears two of the warriors whispering to each other  
'She's pretty hot...' one of them says.  
'Yeah, she smells good too...' says the other.

Aria is angered and looks left to see the pair. Jackson elbows one of the guys in the ribs and they both shut up. He looks back at her apologetically. She shakes her head. _What the hell..._

After half an hour their meals are done and everyone stands. They all go back to their groups and continue to mingle. Victoria thanks everyone for attending and says they can leave when they please. Aria picks up her glass full of expensive white wine, and while Jackson is busy talking, she walks into the gallery again. She stops in front of a massive portrait of a young woman sitting on an expensive looking antique chair. She is wearing a pre-medieval gown, with a large collar and even larger sleeves. She has waist length blonde hair and sky-blue eyes. She is the most beautiful woman Aria has ever seen. She stands there, sips her wine, and admires the painting.  
'She's practically our goddess.' Jackson is at Arias side. She is startled.  
'You teach your own religion here?' She mocks him  
'Oh ha-ha, funny for you. You believe in a white man with a beard being nailed to a cross and being brought back from the dead.' He jokes back with her  
'Im not religious' she's serious now.  
'That's okay, you will be soon' Aria thinks she's stuck in a strict religious school now, and it makes her want to leave more.  
'So what did this "goddess" do?' She looks up at him. He takes a last sip from his glass before he talks.  
'Well, legend says she was a poor white girl in 1001. She was sold because she was beautiful, to the king where she lived in East England. He pretty much adopted her. She lived the rest of her life as a privileged royal. Its said that one day she went walking through some woods and never returned.'  
'Wow... okay... so what actually happened?' Aria tries to sound interested. She failed Scripture in high school.  
'No one knows, they never found her body. But she is said to have appeared 50 years later in central England still looking like she did when she went missing. She reappears throughout history up until the 17th century. We believe in her as our goddess because she helped all the poor people in her village and is supposed to have helped other throughput England; and to have never aged.'  
'Sounds like another Jesus to me...'  
'Jesus died. Isabella lived for centuries.'  
'Was that her name?'  
'Yeah. She was immortal.'  
'But there's no such thing...'

Jackson cuts her off, 'You don't believe in blind faith. Neither did I. But once you experience it, you'll believe in everything.'  
'What's that supposed to mean?' she looks up at him.  
Jackson doesnt answer. Aria pipes up 'where are her children?'

he looks at her.  
'No one knows if she even had children. Victoria say immortals cant procreate. There are other theories that say she had an illegitimate child when she was 16, before she became immortal. However theres no evidence to prove there was.' Aria shakes her head. They go quiet.  
'You have the same features as her, you know' Jackson says quietly

Aria looks down. This has gone over her head. Jackson leaves the gallery without her. She stares at the painting for a while more. She notices a door to the right and walks to it.  
'Aria, maybe its best if you leave the exploring until tomorrow' Victoria is behind her. Aria looks at her and nods as she walks toward the her. They walk side by side to where Jackson is now standing with some of the warriors back in the main room. Victoria speaks to Jackson.  
'Jackson, Aria would like to turn in for the night' Aria looks at her in shock.. she doesnt really want to go. Jackson looks confused but nods in approval. She smiles then walks away

Jackson heads back to the double door entrance. they walk back into the corridor with the pillars and Aria crosses her arms.  
'i have no idea why she practically sent me to bed...'  
'did you upset her?' he asks  
'no! all i did was try and go out that door in the gallery. Then she just sent me away...'  
'hmm... im not sure either.'  
they both continue down the corridor and head back to Arias room. they get to her door, in silence. Aria finally speaks.  
'thank you for not letting me make a fool of myself at that dinner' she says softly. he smiles at her  
'i wouldnt have let that happen.'  
'so what happens tomorrow?'  
'well, i suppose i show you around outside and stuff.' Aria likes the idea of more one-on-one time with Jackson. she smiles  
'i would really like that' he returns the smile.  
'well, goodnight Aria' Jackson turns and slowly walks away, hands in pockets.  
'goodnight' she squeaks. she opens her door and walks into her room. she locks it and heads into the bathroom, exhausted. she unpins her hair and washes her face. she showers and puts on an expensive designer nightie she found in her wardrobe.  
'i hope i sleep well here' she says to herself. she reminds herself she is leaving tomorrow as she pulls back the covers on her massive bed and slides in. she lays her head on her pillow and before she sleeps, she remembers everything thats happened to her today and sighs. its been way too weird, and too much to handle. she shouldnt feel comfortable about living here permanently now, but she slowly adjusting. this may be the fresh start shes always wanted. she falls asleep.


	5. The Intrusion

when she wakes up her room is filled with sunshine. she rolls over and slowly gets out of bed she opens the glass doors onto one of the balconies, and steps out. The view is beautiful. she feels so special to have a view like this from her room. she looks around, she can see the fence lining the school, students walking around on lush green grass, and boys playing basketball on the courts almost directly under her window. she smiles; she's starting to like this place more and more. she heads back inside and opens her wardrobe. she may as well meet a few new people today and first impressions are important. she searches through all the items when she finally comes to a white floral maxi-dress. its amazing and designer. If she gets to wear what she wants she may as well take the nicest clothes with her. she cant believe the school has paid for her clothes. she's never worn clothes like this. she slips on the dress and the cork wedge heels she finds. she heads to the bathroom and applies her make up, which is just as expensive as her dress and shoes. she styles her hair to the side and she leaves the bathroom and then heads to the kitchen. there's no food, so she gives up and decides to go to the warriors common room to find Jackson. she opens her door and closes it firmly behind her. she retraces her steps from last night and ends up at the warriors corridor. she knocks on the black doors that Jackson said was the common room. she hears footsteps on the wooden floors inside. the door opens slowly in front of her.  
'oh hey there aria! nice to see you again' its Lucas the crazy one with the weird story. she straightens.  
'hi Lucas. I was just looking for Jackson, he said he'd show me around today.'  
'oh that's okay I can do that!' he's too bad at being smooth. she hears Jackson say in the background  
'Lucas, stop being a tosser and let her in'  
he rolls his eyes and aria laughs a little. he steps back and she shyly smiles as she walks inside.  
the room is massive. there is a staircase to one side and massive glass windows above a large L-shape couch. she looks around. massive TV, kitchen, pool room. this one room has everything. she looks at everyone on the couch. they all say a collective 'hi' and continue watching TV. she notices Kai, over on a chair next to the pool table. he is staring at her again-looking angry. she shivers, his gaze makes her frightened.  
'Aria, hey.' she turns around to see Jackson coming down the stairs. he's got ripped jeans on and a buttoned-down blue shirt on. he is very attractive like this, aria thinks to herself. she has to remember him like this.  
'hey' she responds  
'I'm so sorry, I got really busy and forgot to come and get you.' he scratches his head. he is legitimately sorry.  
'its okay, I slept in really late anyway. I don't even know what the time is' she laughs. someone says 11.35. she notices a red blob on his shirt. she's bit confused.  
'Been doing some painting have we?' she jokes and points to his shirt. he gasps and looks up embarrassed.  
'shit. uh, yeah, secret past time. Don't tell anyone okay? I have a reputation' he jokes, laughing to himself. she hears Lucas laughing behind her. she turns to face him and he is laughing, but not with him-at him. he quickly turns and walks into a little side room at the bottom of the stairs.  
he says as he leaves, 'ill just change, just a second' she nods.  
'so aria...' Finn is on the couch.  
'tell us a bit about yourself.' he tells her. she thinks.  
'well...' all she can think about is Jackson getting naked. she takes a few steps towards the front door in an effort to see him.  
'I'm 17. there isn't much else...'  
'that's bull, there must be something' Finn interrupts her. she looks to her left, pretending to think but actually perving.  
'um... I love animals. and my favourite place is the woods. which is where i was when i was attacked.' she touches her neck, the bandage neatly covered by her hair.  
'see, told you there would be something' he smiles. she looks into the room again, and sees a very muscular bare back, with muscles to match. she must've been staring for a little too long, because Lucas taps her on the shoulder from behind.  
'Geez, know how to stare much?' he winks and laughs at her. she goes red. _fuck!_  
'what? no, Im not, I swear...'  
he cuts her off, 'yeah yeah, sure...' he shakes his head and sits down. she folds her arms. she glances back at Kai who hasn't moved a muscle since she arrived.  
'okay, all done. ill give you the outside tour' Jacksons now wearing a button down white shirt.  
'oh okay, awesome. thanks.'  
'ill be back soon' Jackson says to the guys on the couch. they nod, giving him a look. he shakes his head. they leave the room and as he closes the door, someone calls out to him 'oooo Jackson, use protection' aria hears and is embarrassed.  
'ignore them. they don't know how to act around girls' he laughs as he shakes his head. they walk back to the lobby and out the glass doors. this is the first time aria has been outside since she was attacked. she looks around and admires everything. the school truly is beautiful.  
'this is the main quad. some of the classrooms are along there...' he points to several doors all in one grey stone building.  
'if you do school, which I don't actually know if you will yet, your classes with probably be in there.' aria likes the idea of not doing school.  
'again, if you do school you'll be given one of these lockers...' they walk over to a side of a two storey red brick building where the lockers are. she nods. he points up 'this is the girls building. all the female students sleep in here.' the building looks small, aria imagines the rooms to be cramped and crappy.  
'so why do i get a good room?' she asks. he looks at her puzzled.  
'well... the building is full.' he says quickly and walks off. she follows him, and they walk through a brick arch attached to the girls dorm.  
'that other red brick building opposite this one is the boys dorm. I suggest you don't go in there.' Jackson is serious as he says this. aria looks at him, but silently agrees. aria notices a metal gate surrounded by vines, along bricks.  
'what's in there?' Jackson looks over his shoulder.  
'ill show you.' he's happy and smiling now. they walk over to the gate. except aria gets there first. she's excited. she tries to open the gate, but its impossible.  
'I cant...'  
Jackson reaches over her shoulder and she freezes. he's so close. With a simple jerk of his wrist, the gate flies open. she looks at him shocked.  
'how on earth...'  
'Skill' he interrupts and walks through the gate leaving her standing there.  
'no! that gate was literally stuck fast...' she's talking to him as she follows him.  
'well, I'm 10 times stronger than you. its that simple'  
aria goes to speak but doesn't. she's too stunned by the beautiful old marble fountain in front of her. its surrounded by a marble seat and the courtyard is covered in vines and flowers.  
'this is beautiful!' aria runs to the fountain.  
'this is my new favourite place ever! its so peaceful and... relaxing' she sits as talks. he's smiling at her.  
'we call this Isabella's courtyard.'  
aria smiles, 'I think she would've loved it. any girl would love a place like this named after her.' Jackson looks down and sits beside her  
'so much for not religious, hey?' he jokes.  
she looks at him and smiles. 'okay so maybe the whole "immortality" thing is kinda cool' it goes quiet between them for a while. aria sits there looking at the vines and flowers sprawling along the walls. she remembers yesterdays conversation about her attacker. she touches her neck.  
'you never told me what attacked me: or who...' she says quietly. Jackson sighs. he clasps his hands together and rests them between his knees.  
'like I said, you'd never believe me if I told you...' he looks down  
'try me. I've heard some messed up shit throughout my life...' she rubs her arm.  
'No, but seriously. never mind. all that matters is that you're safe...'  
aria cuts him off. she's angry now. 'I need to know what happened!'  
'Aria! what part of this don't you get? you don't want to know! even if you did know, you wouldn't believe it, you'd run screaming for the hills. the problem has been solved by you living here, so just drop it!' he's very stern with her, almost yelling. she goes silent. she's hurt by this. she looks away from him. he notices she's upset. he groans.  
'Look, aria, I didn't mean...' she cuts him off still not facing him.  
'how could you not tell me what almost killed me. you'd want to know wouldn't you?' he sighs again.  
'if you don't tell me I'm calling the cops to tell them I've been kidnapped. Don't think i wont do it' she stares at him now. he looks pissed.  
'you are annoying and childish.' he snaps at her as he stands.  
'but fine. have your way. were going to the headmistress. say goodbye to your childhood and your naivety.' he storms off through the gate. aria practically runs after him, he moves so fast. he keeps storming back to the lobby. aria calls out from behind him.  
'can you please stop doing this, I'm in heels I cant...'  
'shut up' he says, not looking at her. she rolls her eyes  
'okay then...' she continues to follow him into the lobby, up the stairs and to the office with the window and wooden blinds. he stands there and waits for aria. when she finally gets there she's puffed. he is frowning and it makes her uncomfortable. he knocks on the door twice and they hear "come in" from inside. he pushes the door open at such a speed that the handle hits the wall on the inside. it makes a loud bang and aria can see the headmistress stand abruptly from her chair. aria jumps too. before she knows what's happened, Jackson has shoved her into the room, and she stumbled forward. she looks at him with anger.  
'what is the meaning of this intrusion?' the headmistress shouts. Jackson finally enters the room, and marches straight to the window on the opposite side of the room. aria watches him, then looks at her. Jackson speaks.  
'go on then. tell her what you want.' he doesn't look at her. aria is hurt.  
'Aria, what is the matter' Victoria is confused. aria doesn't know what to say.  
'For fuck sake aria.' Jackson turns. 'she wants to know.' he says this to the headmistress.  
'I'm sorry aria. but that is something...'  
'she said shell call the cops if she doesn't know' Jackson interrupts. the headmistress looks down.  
'this is an unfortunate game you're playing Miss Lestiva. please, sit' they both sit.  
'be prepared for what you're about to hear. it is the truth and I swear it upon our goddess Isabella.' she draws a cross on her chest with her hands, then folds them on her desk. aria nods. the headmistress begins.  
'there are myths and legends amongst humans of immortal beings roaming the earth. they never age nor die. humans think these stories are fictional. they make movies about them. teenage girls fall in love with the movies that incorrectly display these beings...' aria is frowning trying to understand what she is saying.  
'these immortal beings exist. one of which attacked you in the woods.' the headmistress nods, signalling the end of her explanation. aria shakes her head.  
'I don't get it. I don't understand what you're trying to tell me.' the headmistress sighs. Jackson is calm now. aria looks at him. her eyes are welling up. Jackson says in an apologetic tone.  
'Vampires, Aria. a vampire attacked you.'

(please review!)


	6. The Proof

Aria is laughing. its a hysterical laugh. vampires don't exist! she's shaking her head  
'what have you guys been smoking.' she says through her laughter. she looks at Victoria, who is staring in all seriousness at her. then she looks at Jackson who is doing the same thing. she stops laughing.  
'that's ridiculous! vampires aren't real.' she chuckles at them both.  
'were not joking.' Jackson says sternly.  
'you know you were being chased by a human. you saw them.' Jackson walks over to aria. she stiffens as he gets closer. she's still mad at him for yelling at her. all of a sudden he reaches in front of her and pulls back her hair. she shivers-he's cold. but she cant move or speak. she wants to shout but she cant. he quickly rips the bandage off her neck, she winces.  
'ouch! what the hell?' she touches her neck in an attempt to stop the pain. instead she finally feels the wound. two puncture holes, side by side, separated by an inch or two of skin. she is confused. she runs her fingers over them again and again. she is frightened now. her eyes well up again.  
'this is some kind of sick joke right?' she stands, knocking her chair backwards. Jackson walks forward.  
'Don't! I trusted you! I trusted you both! and you tricked me!' she kicks the chair and tries to leave the room  
'This is some stupid fake shit!' she licks her fingers and tries to rub it off. Jackson unexpectedly grabs her shoulders and pushes her sideways. she squeals.  
'what the fu-' she stops. she's in front of a full length mirror on a wall. she sees her neck and she freezes. Jackson still has her arms. she takes a step forward towards the mirror. she turns her head an examines the marks. they weren't kidding. except they aren't scabs like aria thought. they are scars. like pink holes on her neck. she is stunned. she again tries to rub them off, but they're real. a tear rolls down her cheek.  
'vampires cant be real. its impossible.' she blinks, trying to clear her eyes. she looks up at Jackson in the mirror, who is looking down at her. she then looks back at Victoria. she is still sitting. aria wipes her face. why isn't she scared anymore. she turns back to Jackson but cant look him in the eyes. she looks at the buttons on his shirt.  
'does this mean...' she breathes. she looks at Victoria. _are they vampires too?_  
'are you one?' Victoria slightly nods. she looks back at Jackson. he nods as well, yet she doesn't ask the question.  
'Prove it. I need physical proof before...' Jackson opens his mouth a fraction, just enough to see his perfect teeth. aria doesn't move. in the blink of an eye, two very large white fangs appear from his eye teeth, almost like they just lengthened right in front of her. she gasps a little, then frowns confused.  
'holy shit... this is real? this vampire shit is actually real?' she squints to examine his teeth. the guy she's crushing on is a vampire, and so is the principle of the school she's living at.  
'yes, its all real' Jackson talks still with his fangs extended. he sounds funny talking over his fangs. aria feels numb. its too much to take in. his mouth twitches and his fangs disappear. arias eyes widen, she then turns away.  
'I know this is a very strange thing to become accustomed to...'  
'no you don't. you're a vampire, not a human that is in the same room with two of them. how could you possibly know.' arias stressed to the max.  
'lets not have this discussion right now. I'm taking you to your dorm.' Jackson speaks before Victoria can. he puts his hand on arias back to try and usher her out but she jumps.  
'don't touch me. I want to keep my blood inside me thanks...' she glares at Victoria as she walks out of the office.  
'Aria we don't drink from humans...' Jackson says as he follows her out. aria walks towards her room with her arms folded. Jackson jogs after her.  
'aria just wait a minute...' she keeps walking. all of a sudden Jackson appears right in front of her  
'seriously? is super speed one of your vampire tricks?' she walks around him.  
'there's a lot I need to explain'  
'do it later, when you're not going to yell at me and try to eat me.' they reach her room.  
'I'm not! I'm sorry I yelled I didn't...' she turns and lifts her hand  
'save it. I need to rest and then make some human friends' she opens the door.  
'You're the only human in this school aria.' he says quickly. she's in her room now, and stops. she turns.  
'that makes me feel very safe, thankyou Jackson. why the fuck am i even here!' she slams the door in his face. she sits on the edge of her bed and slides off her heels. she falls backward onto the bed. its too crazy. She stands and looks under the bed for a suitcase, she's unsuccessful. She wants to leave now; she was almost killed by a vampire, taken into a school-full of vampires, and finds out the guy she likes drinks blood for breakfast. great. her life has gone from easy to overly complicated in a matter of days. she doesn't know what she's going to do now. she closes her eyes and imagines her home, as the sun gradually disappears from her room.


	7. The Explanation

she wakes up sideways on her bed, starving. Its later that night when realises she hasn't eaten all day. she sits up and puts her shoes on again. she remembers that Jackson said the maids stocked the fridge. She walks into her small kitchen and opens the fridge. sure enough, there is food and drink in there. wine and juice, frozen meals, fresh meat, vegetables and salad items. Even in the mini freezer there is ice cream. she pulls out some ham and tomatoes and places them on the bench. she goes to close her fridge when she notices a glass bottle at the very back of the fridge. she frowns and pulls it out. it is full of red liquid, but its thicker than water. there is a simple white label on the front that says DR 2. _what the hell is this?_ it looks like blood, but she doesn't know why she's been given it. she puts it on the bench too. she makes herself a sandwich and sits down on her couch to eat it, occasionally glancing at the bottle on the bench. she finishes her food and puts the plate in the sink and sits back down again. she thinks about everything that's happened since she arrived. it goes over and over in her head.

_vampires, bitten by one,_ _surrounded_ _by them..._

She rubs her forehead. This is when she realizes what her future consists of. She cant leave the school, or theyll eat her. how is she going to be able to socialise with the students if all they want to do is drink her blood? she remembers all the vampire shows shes watched: twilight, buffy, true blood. she wonders what parts are actually true. They don't sparkle, Jackson didn't. But his fangs did come out of his gums, just like in true blood. This is when she switches her view points. Vampires never die. Aria admits to herself that they are kinda cool...  
She hears a knock on her door. she knows it'll be Jackson. she doesn't want to talk to him... or does she? she rolls her eyes and walks to the door. she opens it and sure enough, its Jackson.  
'What.' Aria is pretending she doesn't want to see him, but she really does.  
'I'm sorry for yelling at you this morning. there was no reason for me to do that.'  
she gives him a half smile.  
'its okay. I was being a bit pushy.' Why is she crumbling over him?  
'there are some things I need to talk to you about.' he says softly  
'look, my brain cant handle anymore info right now...'  
'once I explain things, everything will make sense.' Aria sighs and steps back.  
'fine. okay. Come in.' Jackson walks inside. she sits on her bed, while he sits on the couch where she ate lunch. its quiet for a while.  
'you better get started.' Aria urges him. she's curious now.  
'first things first, I'm not going to "eat you"' he laughs. she laughs a bit too.  
'the vampires at this school only drink from animals. some of us drink from the vein, others drink the stuff that's harvested from them.' Aria nods, this makes her feel a bit better. he continues 'Harvesting is when we drain the animal while it is alive, without taking all the blood. The animal lives.' She relaxes a little, and he keeps talking.  
'we can move super fast, like you saw me do before. we would starve if we couldn't.'  
'what animals do you eat?'  
'I don't know, things like tree animals, deer, birds, sometimes livestock...'  
'alright alright...' killing animals doesn't sit well with her.  
'we rarely sleep.' Jackson says. 'we only need about 3 hours of sleep every three days.'  
Aria finds that idea appealing.  
'we have super sensitive hearing. we can hear heartbeats and breathing.'

Aria nods and he continues. 'we heal fast. cuts heal in seconds for us. bones heal in a few hours. We also don't age. The only way we can die is the typical wooden stake through the heart, or having the heart removed completely.'

She grimaces. _gross... _'I'm glad I know how to protect myself now'  
'you shouldn't need to, like I said, we wont hurt you. The warriors are here to protect you. i promise i will too' he laughs and then goes serious. it goes quiet again.  
'so if vampires don't drink from humans, why did a vampire almost kill me? Aria asks him. he thinks for a moment.  
'all the vampires in the state attend this school. so, either someone from this school has broken one of our laws, or there's a new vampire in town. either way, another vampires done the wrong thing.' its like this has just clicked to him. this makes sense to her too. someone from this school attacked her, or created someone who did.  
'I have a question.' Aria startles him.  
'okay, go for it.'

she swallows. 'How old are you and Victoria? you said you never die or age so...' aria looks down.  
'Well, most of the warriors have been 18 for a couple of centuries. Victoria is much older than that, shed be at least 1000...'  
'oh my god!' she really is ancient!  
Jackson laughs.  
'Yeah I know, she's the eldest vampire in the country.' Aria shakes her head.  
'as for me, I've been 18 for about 300 years.' he looks up at her, he seems a bit embarrassed. Aria is stunned. he's lived through wars and depressions and sicknesses. all because he can never die. she rubs her neck again.  
'wow'  
'I know its very weird...' he's definitely embarrassed. Aria has so many questions, but she doesn't know if he will open up to her. she stands and walks over to the couch and sits next to him. he seems shocked.  
'I have another question' she asks, frowning to herself a little.  
'you can ask me what ever you like.' he gives her an awkward smile as he looks at her.  
'have you ever killed a human?' this catches him off guard. he looks her in the eyes.  
'yes.'

she nods. she knew that he would've.  
'how old was she?'  
'she?' he's confused.  
'well, I just assumed that guys drink girls and girls drink guys...'  
'why do you assume that?' he's smiling at her, he's about to laugh.  
'I don't know... its in all the movies... its all sexual and stuff...' now Aria is embarrassed. Jackson chuckles.  
'that's mostly true; it tends to be that way. it is a sexual thing i suppose...' Aria feels weird now. someone drank from her in a sexual way. _Was I raped?_  
'relax, whoever attacked you didn't hurt you.' she looks at him confused.

_Its like he can read my mind...  
_'we ran tests before your transfusion.' he says quickly. she is relieved. she relaxes on the couch, and Jackson continues.  
'She was 16; and she was a homeless prostitute with no family.' he finally answers her question. this makes sense to her. _no great loss to the society, no one_ _would've_ _noticed._ she realises how bad that sounds, but accepts it anyway.  
'okay.' she's run out of questions. she looks around the room when she notices the bottle on the bench.  
'Oh! Jackson there's something else...' she stands and walks to the kitchen, picks up the bottle and walks back to the couch. Jackson stiffens when he sees what's in her hand.  
'where did you get that?' he's angry. she sits down again, and he tries to take it off her. she pulls back.  
'what is this?' she asks  
'where did you get it?' he repeats.  
'it was in the back of my fridge when i got back. what is it?' she says again. he's mad.  
'this shouldn't have been put in your fridge. This is for vampires.' he tries to take it again and she holds it away from him  
'is it blood?' he sighs  
'yes, its harvested blood.'  
'what's "DR 2"?' Jackson sighs, he must realise she'll find out anyway.  
'its the type of blood. DR means Deer and 2 means it was harvested two days ago.' Aria understands, it makes sense. she examines the bottle again, tipping it slightly to watch the blood move slowly.  
'ill make sure the maids don't give it to you again.' he's still mad. he luges to grab it but she slides backwards away from him.  
'Aria, give it to me. its of no use to you...' he moves to get it again.  
"can I smell it?' she's is extremely curious to know.  
'hell no, it will make you sick!' he moves to get it again. she backpedals again. she likes this game. he's getting closer to her, and she secretly likes that.  
'Seriously, ill take it away...' this time he's is serious. he throws himself at her, and aria is startled. in half a second, she is horizontal on the couch and he is above her, her legs pinned to the chair. his face is close to hers, his fangs are out. hes snarling at her, without the noise. this legitimately scares her a bit. her hands are pinned above her head, bottle included. not breaking eye contact or retracting his fangs, Jackson pulls the bottle from her hand. she cant move, even if she wanted to. she doesn't want him to bite her. she lays there, heart pounding, for what seems like minutes. Jackson realises what he's done and his face softens and his fangs disappear. he stands super-speed and runs his free hand though his hair. Aria half sits up supporting herself on an elbow.

_what just happened?_

Before she knows it, he is gone. all she hears is the thump of the closing door. she's in shock. he wasn't playing around like she was. she slams her hand against her forehead. she feels like an idiot. _congrats aria, your flirting has gone very wrong. say goodbye to sexy_ _vampire boy..._ she sits up straight. why were his fangs out? she thinks he was trying to frighten her, it kinda worked. she stands and walks into the bathroom. she looks at her neck again. some vampire has left her with a permanent reminder of what happened. great. its been another big day. she has no idea what the time is, but she starts her bed time routine and gets into bed. she is out like a light in only a few minutes.


	8. The Dismissal

she wakes up the same way she does everyday for the next week. she hasn't seen Jackson since the event, shes been isolating herself from everyone. she hasn't left her room once.

one morning, she throws herself out of bed and walks drowsily to her pantry. its been stocked with cornflakes. Aria makes herself a bowl and throws it down fast. she doesn't know why shes rushing. she walks to her wardrobe, opens it, and picks a a white V-neck peplum shirt, denim jeans and white platform heels. i need to meet new people today... she walks into the bathroom and places her clothes next to the sink and throws herself into the shower. it is steaming hot. she washes her hair, finishing smelling like a bouquet of flowers. she dries, gets dressed and clothed then leaves her room. she walks down the stairs and like she did the previous week, to the warriors common room. she knocks, and this time Finn answers the door. hes surprised, and without realising hes doing it, he looks her up and down. she notices, and asks.

'i was hoping to talk about the other students here. may i come in?' he refocuses on her face.

'Oh, yeah sure.' he steps back and she walks in. she looks over her shoulder awkwardly at him once shes inside. all the guys say a collective hi, and she greets them too.

"Hi. is it okay if i sit?'

'Absolutely' Lucas pipes up before everyone else. Aria sits on the edge of the couch and places her hands in her lap. She sees a few guys shes never seen before in the kitchen, and Lucas speaks up again.

'Thats Max and Carlos. They were away at the dinner and they arent here often. i wouldnt worry about talking to them.' he shrugs

'What can we do for you today?' Finn says as he sits down.

"i was hoping to go out and talk to some other people. preferably girls...' she jokes.

Heath, a smaller built guy, laughs

"you dont wanna talk to any of these guys about talking to girls. they cant even do it themselves!' hes really laughing now, and so is she.

'Shut the fuck up Heath' Lucas snaps at him.

'heath is gay. thats why he makes jokes about us' Finn says to her. she smiles. shes always wanted a gay best friend.

'My gender preference is irrelevant. all you need to know is to not go near a girl named Tiffany' all the guys groan.

'Okay?'

"shes a 6ft, blond bimbo bitch who will do anything to get any new student kicked out.' aria laughs hard.

'Theres always that one girl whos like that. as long as she doesnt bite me well be fine' she is still laughing. the warriors have gone quiet and are all looking at each other.

'Jackson and the Headmistress told me yesterday.' she realises they didnt know she knew about them. they all breathe a sigh of relief.

'Just so you know, none of us will hurt you. were here to make sure you dont get hurt okay?' finn says. she smiles.

'i know, thanks.'

aria talks to the warriors for a while, about random little things. she eventually decides to leave. she says goodbye then heads down to the lobby and outside to the courtyard. there are people everywhere. this is the first time shes seen the other students. she looks around. the girls are extremely beautiful and the men are very attractive. it must be a vampire thing. she notices the students are looking at her funny, and some people are saying nasty things. shes very self conscious now. this was a bad idea. they all want to eat her. she decides to get away, and she walks quickly to Isabella's courtyard. she swings open the gate and walks through it. she swings it shut behind her and takes a deep breath. she turns to walk to the fountain, but stops. Jackson is sitting there where they were last week, looking at his feet kicking the dirt around. she gasps a little. she doesnt know whether or not she wants to talk to him about that couch incident. he mustve heard her gasp, because he looks up and straightens himself.

'Are you okay? youre puffed.' he asks her. still looking upset. she nods

'Yeah, im fine, i just thought it would be a good idea to make friends. turns out, not such a good idea...' she readjusts her shirt. he nods slowly, he doesnt know what to say.

'i didnt know you were here...' she says

'no one does. well, did.'

she looks down. things are awkward between them and this is not what she wanted. she walks toward him

'look about the other day in my room, you dont need to...' he stands and cuts her off. she stops walking

'Dont come near me.' he paces over to the wall with the vines and leans against it.

'you didnt hurt me. i know you wont.' she keeps walking.

'Aria dont!' he snaps at her. again she stops. and sighs.

'you dont have to be like this. i was playing around when i shouldnt have been. i shouldve just done what you asked...'

'you better not be planning on apologising...'

'well, i was, actually...'

'you didnt do anything wrong. i snapped. i was mad that the stupid maids fucked up again. i shouldnt have taken it out on you.'

'But you didn't..'

'i scared you didnt i?' he looks up at her. hes hurting.

'it was a little scary, only because your fangs...'

'Exactly! i never meant to do that. i shouldn't have done what i did. im supposed to protect you not the opposite! not only did i scare you i...' he trails off and faces the wall again. he mutters

'i embarrassed myself too...' but aria cant hear.

'What?'

'nothing. just go away.'

'i know it was an accident. i know you wouldnt actually hurt me...' she tries frantically to not get sent away. she does want to see him.

'Please leave.' he says sternly

'No. i can be here if i like. i trust you...'

'Fine. ill leave.' he turns and storms past her. no way. no. i forgive you... she grabs his arm as he walks past her. he stops instantly. this is the first physical contact Aria has initiated. its not the first she wanted. jackson is growling low in his throat. he is staring at her. his eyes are burning. shes not intimidated of him. she needs to show him that.

'Let go. i dont want to make you.' aria doesnt let go

'No. you are the only person i trust in this entire school, and if you leave, not only will i have to walk back across the yard by myself, i will be extremely hurt.' thats right aria, pull the hurt card...

he is still growling. another vampire thing.

'stop growling at me.' she demands. he stops, and instantly drags his arm towards his body, bringing her closer. his fangs extend, and he looks down at her. her heart quickens.

'the only reason you think you trust me is because it was my blood that saved your life.' they stand like that for a few seconds, until aria finally realises what she just said. she is shocked. he shakes his arm, making her let go and stumble backward a bit. he then turns and walks, at human pace, out through the gate. He has dismissed her, just like that. Aria stands there numb. it wasnt a transfusion, he healed me. i drank his blood... shes kind of disgusted, but thankful. he saved her life in more ways then one. she needs to talk to the guys. she takes a deep breath and readjusts her hair and clothes again. then walks through the gate again. everyone still stares at her. but shes almost used to it. she walks in a straight line back towards the lobby, when a girl appears in front of her.

'Hello there.' she says with a smile. aria stops. she is almost as beautiful as the portrait of Isabella. she wears a pink singlet and short shorts.

'oh. um, hello.' she smiles back

'Youre new here right? of course you are, ive never seen you before. or smelt you...' she chuckles. okay...

'Yeah, i am. im actually on my way to...'

'Im Tiffany. id like to set out some rules...' its the bitch Heath was talking about. stay calm.

'Number one: im the head girl, so stay out of my way. Number two: i dont care if Jackson is being nice to you, he has to be, hes a great guy. but stay away from him. Jackson and i are an item. if you touch him, ill drain you dry.' god how old are we? were not 12...

'Got it?'

aria smiles dryly.

'yes, thank you. thats very clear...' tiffany smiles. aria continues.

'Which is more than i can say for your complexion.' she gives her a bitchy smile then walks around her into the lobby. she stands there, opened mouthed, horrified at what she just said. several students are laughing at her. she storms off. aria makes in into the lobby without being murdered. she realises jackson must be pretty popular considering hes chief warrior. this makes her smile. she continues back to the common room. she lets herself in. the guys are startled but dont question it. she sits down on the couch between heath and finn.

'Hello aria, lovely to see you, how was your day? thats good, yes you can come in...' Finn has a conversation with himself as she sits there. she glares at him.

'What happened?' heath asks

she takes a deep breath.

'Jackson says the only reason i trust him is because it was his blood that saved my life. he told me in medical i had a transfusion. but a transfusion is human blood going into the vein...' she stops. heath processes this. finn shifts on the couch.

'Well, if it was his blood that was put into your veins then youd be a vampire by now...' he says. she shakes her head.

'Ive seen true blood. does that mean i... i drank his blood?'

Heath puts his hand on her knee. 'i know this seems gross, you "ate" blood... but he saved your life and healed you. he wouldnt have done it if he didnt need to.'

'what does that mean' she frowns

'transfusions are slow. you mustve been so close to death that this was the only way. maybe you were sick as well...' she shakes her head

'i wasnt sick. i was fine. i was healthy...'

'you just need to talk to him' Finn interrupts

'I cant. he doesnt want to be near me anymore.' she looks down, her eyes welling up.

'Okay, girls i can handle, girls crying goes way over my head.' Finns about to stand, when heath beats him, grabs arias hand and helps her up. she pulls her toward the the side room where jackson got dressed. Heath closes the door behind them. Aria realises this room is actually a bedroom, and she sits on the bed and heath sits next to her.

'Why doesnt he want to talk to you?'

she looks down. 'Last week, he came to my dorm to explain vampy things...' he smiles at the word vampy.

'anyway, a maid had put a bottle of blood in my fridge by accident. when i asked what it was he got mad and tried to take it off me. i thought he was playing around with me...'

'Okay, you dont need to finish.' heath cuts her off. 'That explains why we havent seen you in days.'

she looks at him.

'He simply doesnt want to hurt you. he nearly did. he doesnt want to follow through with it.'

'i trust him...'

'he doesnt trust himself, Aria.' she looks down.

'He has a connection with you. he saved your life and you have his blood in you. this makes humans somewhat attached. thats why it hurts that he wont talk to you.' he puts his hand on her shoulder. 'Youre a human and its been centuries since hes even been near one. vampires need to be careful around them, because all it takes is a moment of weakness for a vampire to bite a human...'

its making some sense now.

'From my perspective, he saved you. he doesnt want to be the one to hurt you, and undo what he helped fix. i dont think you should take it personally.' Heath pulls aria close and hugs her. Aria trusts him now too. she knows she has someone else to go to.

'thank you' she whispers. they hug for a long while. they eventually stop and head back to the main room. Lucas is there now.

'Hey Aria!' he says happily. she smiles.

'Hi.' she notices the clock hanging on the wall. its 3pm already.

'i need to get me a clock' she says jokingly

'Isnt there one in your room?' Lucas asks.

'No, there isnt actually. i wake up in the morning and have no idea what time it is' she laughs.

'Do you have a phone?' finn asks

"havent got one of them either. i have nothing from my home.'

'We'll have to go shopping!' heath is super excited now.

'id love that' she smiles.

'oh, i forgot to tell you, i met Tiffany...' Aria says. heaths smile disappears.

'fuck! what happened?' she smiles coyly

'Well, she told me that she was the head girl, and that jackson was "hers"' she laughs.

'she thinks jacksons her boyfriend but he hates her! and what did you say?'

'She asked me if what she said was clear. i told her it was, which was more than i could say about her complexion...'

'Did you really say that?' finn is hysterical

'yeah. shes a bitch.' aria laughs.

all the boys and aria laugh for a while.

'anyway, i best head off.' aria heads for the door.

'come by tomorrow and tell me how things are' heath says.

'sure, bye guys' she leaves

she is feeling a lot better now. she plans her next move.


	9. The Dark Past

she walks down the corridor until she gets to Jacksons dorm. she stops. _i could at least see if he's there..._ she walks forward and knocks a few times. she waits what seems like forever. the door opens. her heart pounds. Jackson stares at her. his face is hard and angry.  
'I just want to talk.' aria looks up at him through her lashes. he growls again, but steps aside to let her in. she walks in. she admires his room. its very similar to hers, except manlier. she stands in the middle of his room. he walks past her and looks out his window. he says nothing. aria takes a deep breath, her heart speeds up.  
'I get it now...'  
He turns his head a little and she swallows.  
'I get why you don't want me near you. why you so worried about hurting me. its been so long since you've been around me. and at first I thought you just didn't want to be near me, that I was going to make you hurt me. but heath said you were worried about controlling yourself. you saved me, and you don't want to be the reason someone else has to...' he turns around fully now.  
Aria continues, 'but it goes deeper than that doesn't it? there's a back story I don't know isn't there?' aria rubs her arm. she's kinda embarrassed. Jacksons face is soft now. he sighs.  
'Was there another girl you saved? did you make her like you by mistake?' she asks quietly, not to anger him. he rubs his face with both hands as if to wake himself up.  
'I cant believe I'm telling you this...' he sits on his bed.  
'I was a brand new vampire back in the 1700s. i found a girl who had been beaten and left for dead behind a farm shed. she was young. I gave her my blood, she barely swallowed it; she was that weak. i gave her as much of my blood as i could, but people were coming. Instead of taking her with me to where i was going, i left her there and ran. I saved myself over this poor girl. id told myself that shed have enough blood in her that when she died, shed come back. but she didn't. I watched as they buried her the following day...' he's supporting his head with his crossed hands, elbows on knees, looking straight ahead. arias eyes are welling. she didn't know it would be like this.  
'I never ever forgave myself for it; leaving her to die. Then came you...' he looks at her, face so sad.  
'I saw you lying there... and I remembered what happened back then... and I didn't make that same mistake. i promised to make sure you stay alive. if I was to attack you, I would be breaking that promise.' he sighs again, running both his hands though his hair. this has really upset aria. it all makes sense. he's trying to make it up to himself. aria walks over to the bed and sits next to him.  
'does anyone else know this?'  
'Heath does.'  
aahhhhhhhh. what a good friend he is.  
its taken him 300 years to get a chance to prove to himself he's not a bad person. a tear rolls down her cheek. Jackson is about to look at her. she doesn't want him to see her crying. she makes the split second decision to slide close to him and hug him. just as he looks up, she wraps her arms around his body and rests her head on his shoulder. this takes him by complete surprise. aria feels another tear roll down. after a few moments, Jackson wraps his arms around her back and pulls her close. she closes her eyes. such a sad moment but such a good hug. he smells good, but is freezing. she tucks her head into his neck more. she feels his hand travel up her back and into her hair at the nape of her neck. she shivers.  
'I don't ever want to hurt you aria.' he says into her hair. she squeezes him.  
'you wont, i know you wont.' she revels in this moment. Jacksons breathing begins to change, its louder and she can feel it. she tries to look at him, but he's already pulled away with super speed, his fangs extended. his face is full of sadness and embarrassment. he didn't want them to come out by the looks of things. aria is calm. she reaches for his face but he turns slightly, and she hesitates, withdrawing her hand slightly. his brown eyes look into her blue. she reaches forward again and this time he doesn't move. his lips are parted. she brushes her thumb against his bottom lip, making it drop further. she can hear his heavy breathing. she then touches the surface of a fang with the same thumb. it is like ice, but so smooth. she wants to touch the tip, but she knows it'll probably prick her. she stops for a moment  
'you are treading on thin ice Miss Lestiva...' he says in his deep fang voice. it makes her want him more. she goes to touch it again, but this time he grabs her wrist and twists it back on to her lap, palm upwards. she gasps  
'do you trust me?' he looks into her eyes as he speaks  
'yes' she is breathless  
'let me show you something...' he rubs his thumb over her palm, then wrist. in one swift movement, he draws his thumb nail across it, cutting it.  
'Ouch!' she tries to pull away but he holds her hand. he looks up at her, then she looks at him confused. the cut is bleeding now. she doesn't want him to taste it. he instead, brings the same thumb to his mouth and presses it against the tip of his fang. a small dot of blood can be seen on it. he then brushes his thumb over her cut. his blood leaves a streak on her skin. she watches in disbelief and the gash heals in seconds, leaving no blood at all.  
'holy crap!' aria touches her wrist. she looks up at him. he is smiling, and she does too.  
'that is so unbelievably cool!' she grins. he laughs. her wrist doesn't even hurt. she cant stop looking at his fangs. they're intriguing. she bites her lip.

Jackson reaches forward and places two fingers under her chin, thumb on it, tilting her head slightly upward. _he's going to kiss me!_ he lowers his lips to hers. shivers run down her spine. his lips are like his fangs. cold as ice, but soft. she feels his lips move, and realises he's retracted his fangs. he opens his mouth slightly and aria follows. the kiss eventually ends, and they pull away from each other. she's breathless. she bites her lip again, and smiles at him. he smiles too. finally something has gone right for her. there's a knock at the door. he frowns and stands, walks and opens it. it is Finn.  
"finally found you! bloody hell, we went all over the school! your missus...' Jackson shushes him and steps out the door, closing it slightly.  
'Be quiet.'  
'I just thought i should tell you...' aria catches bits of the conversation. he sees Finn looking through the door at her. she then hears chuckling. aria walks to the door  
'Did you kiss her?' Finn asks Jackson  
'No..'  
'You're a terrible liar. there's lipstick on your mouth.' aria giggles the same time Finn does. the door swings open. Jackson is staring at her. she looks up at him through her lashes. he shakes his head.  
'well, I should head off! don't wanna interrupt...' he turns and walks away.  
'you're a dick, Finn.' he calls after him. Finn makes a love heart with his hands and disappears. Jackson comes back inside. he gives her a half smile and she returns it.  
'I probably should go' she says as she heads out the door. Jackson nods.  
'ill see you tomorrow' he smiles.  
'okay' she grins  
'goodnight aria' he says as he closes the door.  
'goodnight' she replies. the door closes in front of her.  
she cant help but smile. she does a little happy dance, then heads back to the dorm. she is over the moon. as she is walking, she imagines his fangs again. the smooth white shiny surface. she touches her wrist again. she knows if she hurts herself his blood will heal her. and then she imagines something she never thought she would. being a vampire. she stops walking. she imagines what shed look like. drinking blood, running super fast...  
she shakes her head. no.  
she pushes the thought away. she heads straight back to her room, and pulls the door behind her. does this mean her and Jackson are going out or did they just kiss? she'll have to ask him tomorrow. its later now, she still has no clock. she plans to go into town tomorrow and buy some stuff. then realises she's broke. there goes that idea. she gets into her nightie then gets into bed. the suns down so its time for sleeping right? she falls asleep


	10. The Call

she wakes to a knock at her door. it frightens her, but she then gets up and answers it. she opens the door, no one is there. but at her feet is a white box with a card on top. she grins, excited. she picks it up and opens the card in her doorway  
"Heard you needed a few things -J"  
she blushes. there's definitely something between them. she goes back inside and sits on her bed. she pulls off the lid.  
inside is a small white digital clock. she smiles. _finally!_ she places it on her nightstand. she looks down again to see a white apple phone. she gasps! he bought her a phone!? shes shocked. these things are expensive. she pulls out the box from within the box and places it next to her. shes shocked but grateful. she can call home now. in the box is also an iPod touch and earphones and a Mac book and $100 cash. she cant even talk. how did he afford this. shes so happy. shes nearly crying. this is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for her. she spends a good while turning on all her new toys. when shes done, she gets dressed and organised. skinny jeans and a singlet. shes relaxed today. she slips her phone into her pocket and leaves. she heads down to the lobby and heads outside. she touches her phone in her pocket. _i need to tell everyone im okay..._  
she walks back to Isabella's courtyard. aria looks around. people aren't staring at her like last time; they're smiling. she smiles back at whoever she makes eye contact with. she makes it to the yard and sits down on the fountain. she takes out her phone and stares at it and sighs. she unlocks it, and opens the browser. it automatically opens to a news page. she freezes. she sees a picture of her face on the screen. shes been reported missing. she clicks it and sure enough the story is about her, where shes from and how she hasn't been seen in a week or so. Aria thinks of her family and her friends. she closes it. she quickly taps in a number and hesitates. she wants to call her parents, but doesn't know if its the right thing. she makes the split second decision, and presses call. it rings. there is a crackle on the end of the phone.  
'Hello?' a woman answers. aria cant speak.  
'Hello?' she repeats. its her mum.  
'Hi mum' aria squeaks.  
'Aria? Oh my god youre alive' her mum starts crying. aria smiles  
'Y-Yes, mum im okay...'  
'You scared us so badly! come home right now! Ed, its aria!' her mum calls to her dad.  
'Mum listen to me!' aria raises her voice. her m is silent.  
'Mum, im okay, and im safe. i didnt mean for this to happen. but im good. and im not coming home...'  
'Dont be ridiculous! you get home right now!' shes shouting.  
'Mum im not coming home. just know that i am safe and happy. tell dad i love him...' her mum becomes hysterical.  
'I love you mum.' arias eyes are welling.  
'Aria please dont go, i love you! come home! please!' she can barely understand her.  
'Goodbye mum...' aria ends the call. she puts her phone beside her. she presses her hand over her mouth and begins to cry. tears stream down her cheeks. aria really is happy here but she wants to see her parents again. she tilts her head down. there is a arm around her shoulder, then a breeze. she looks up. jackson is beside her.  
'What happened' hes frantic, trying to figure out whats going on.  
'nothing... its nothing...' she sniffs, trying to calm herself.  
'Aria tell me!' Hes urgent.  
'Wait... how did you get here so fast? I didnt tell you where I was...'  
'I felt you. All of a sudden I was so upset, and I ended up here.' He stops for a moment. 'Dont change the subject!'  
'Its my parents'

Jacksons face softens. 'You called them?' She looks at him and nods.  
'Jesus aria, you know they can track calls from that phone...' he rubs his head  
'I'm sorry I wasn't thinking I just did it' she looks down.  
'Its fine. We'll exchange the phone and get a new sim card.'  
'I'm so sorry' aria starts to cry again.  
'Hey.' He pulls her closer.  
'Its okay. I'm not mad. I just want you to be happy.' He smiles  
She nods 'I'm glad I spoke to them again. They know I'm safe.' She smiles.  
'You wanna know something?' Jackson asks. She looks confused.  
'Sure'  
'Vampires dont cry tears.' Shes puzzled.  
'What? How do they cry?'  
'They cry blood instead of water. Humans are 70% water, were 70% blood.'

Aria laughs. She finds this so funny for some reason.  
'I know, its pretty weird and funny. I'm glad I made you smile' he winks at her. She laughs a little more.  
'Thanks.' She wipes her eyes and face. She feels better.  
'The guys and I are having a party tonight, just us. Would you like to come?' She looks at him, excited.  
'Really? Oh... well.. sure, I'd love to!' Arias never been to a party before, like a real one. Shes grinning from ear to ear.  
'Awesome. Well, starts at 5pm in the common room. Drinks provided.' Jacksons happy. Aria gives him a funny look.  
'We've got drinks for humans too' he laughs and so does she. They stand from the fountain. He pulls her close and hugs her.  
'No more crying okay, you scared me'  
'I'm sorry I won't.' She mumbles into his chest. They separate and say goodbye. Jackson speed runs through the gate. Aria follows at her human speed. She heads through the courtyard hoping no one can tell shes been crying. She keeps her head up. She makes it back to the lobby where she stops. The headmistress is at the reception desk. She turns and sees aria  
'There you are' she smiles and heads over.  
'Hello. Were you looking for me?'  
'Indeed I was. I ran into jackson not long ago. He told me what happened with your parents.' _It_ _was_ _less_ _than_ _ten_ _minutes_ _ago,_ _how_ _do_ _you_ _know_ _already?_  
'Oh.. yeah..'  
'Anyway, he gave me your phone. I have a spare to give to you thats identical. No tracking.' She hands aria a new white phone.  
'Thank you, I appreciate that.' She smiles at Victoria.  
she heads back to her dorm. she enters her room and locks the door behind her. she grabs her laptop off her nightstand and turns it on. aria relaxes, she has a few hours to kill before the party. she begins to think about how jackson found her so quickly. how was it possible for him to find her, yet again? This was the second time. how could he 'feel' her? she rubs her head. her laptop automatically connects to the schools internet and she opens her facebook and she makes a mental note not to like or post anything. shes just catching up on all her friends. she sees pictures and posts from her closest girlfriends from school. theyre about her.  
'Aria, if youre reading this please come home. we miss you 3'  
aria feels humbled that her friends do care for her. she smiles. she doesnt realise how many hours shes spent on the computer, but when her phone starts buzzing in her pocket, shes shocked. almost 6 hours! she closes her laptop and grabs her phone. its an unknown number  
'Hello'  
'Hey aria its Finn'  
'Hi! how did you get my number?'  
'Jackson gave it to me. he asked me to call you to check up on you.' aria smiles  
'Oh okay. im fine, thanks'  
'Good. we didnt know what happened. we were with him when he just stood up and took off. then he told us what happened. im sorry.' finn sounds really saddened  
'Dont worry about it.'  
'So youre coming to the party?'  
'Yeah im really looking forward to it.' and this is the truth  
'hey finn, why didnt he call me himself?'  
'Jacksons sleeping, then hes going out before the party...'  
she remembers that vampires only need three hours sleep. and going out must mean hunting.  
'Okay, well ill see you in a few hours.'  
'See you' Finn hangs up.  
aria grins. tonight shes going to impress! she throws herself off the bed and into the shower. she washes her hair and picks out her makeup. she heads to her wardrobe and picks out a long sleeved white lace shirt and black skinny jeans. she then picks out a pair of fluorescent pink heels; the perfect party outfit. she realises theres still an hour to go til the party. she decides its best to eat before she gets there. she walks to her kitchen and grabs an apple and eats it. she walks to her balcony door, still eating, and heads outside. she sees heaps of students on the courts. she looks around, liking her view. she watches a vamp guy shoot hoops in a row in 10 seconds. _super speed comes in handy for sport... _aria thinks. in an instant, jackson is in front of her, on the opposite side of the rails surrounding her balcony. she screams and steps back. he laughs.  
'How the hell did you do that?' aria is breathless  
'super speed and super strength means we can jump extremely high' he grins at her  
'You scared the shit out of me! dont do that!' she chucks the remainder of her apple at him and he dodges. hes still laughing.  
'Go away! stop laughing at me!' she jokes with him as she heads back inside.  
'You look great.' he says just before she gets inside. she turns and smiles.  
'Thank you.' she smiles. 'Now, get off my balcony' she closes her door once shes inside. hes still there. she looks at him through the window and mouths "Go away". he shakes his head. she opens the door.  
'Dont make me snap the canopy off my bed to stake you' she grins. he looks a little scared.  
'Come to the party' he says  
'you told me in starts at 5, its only 410.'  
'So? just come now'  
'Fine okay! just get off my balcony!' she closes her door again. he smiles and disappears.


	11. The Attack

aria grabs her phone from her bed and leaves. she feels very confident in her outfit. she heads straight to the common room. she gets to the lobby where she sees some male students she's never seen before. they stare at her and she smiles. confidence boost! she keeps walking. she knocks on the common room door, and Finn opens.  
'Hey'  
'Hi, Jackson said I could come early is that okay?'  
'sure, come in' he eyes her as she enters. the warriors are standing, bottles in hand talking to each other.  
'Hi guys' the guys whirl around to her and all say hi.  
'Where's Jackson?' she asks. Heath pipes up from across the room  
'he's getting wet.' she glares feeling awkward.  
'He's showering' he laughs. Aria is relieved. She laughs, Finn does too.  
'So when you said he was out, you meant he was hunt in right?' Finn looks at her  
'Yes, that's what I meant' aria nods. At least he won't be hungry tonight, not that aria would mind really. She looks around awkwardly. She realises she doesn't really know the other warriors. She was over to the group and smiles. Lucas talks to her.  
'So aria, do you feel like you've settled in now?' He is always smiling.  
'Uh, yeah I think I am. I'm unsure what to do during the day though. But so far so good.'  
'Great, so where are you from?' The olive guy speaks.  
'I'm just from the city.' She smiles.  
'Ever travelled?' He sips his drink.  
'No, I haven't. This place is the furthest away I've been' she laughs. He smiles.  
'Julian's from Greece' heath speaks up. That explains the skin tone.  
'Wow, it must be nice there.'

He smiles 'Yeah its amazing. Very scenic' he nods.

The conversation goes quiet again. She needs a drink. She turns and heads to the fridge. Just before she gets there, someone turns some music on. Pop stuff. Aria recognises the song but can't think of the name. She opens the fridge and gasps a little. Every shelve is full of bottles and bags of blood. She knew this was normal, but it still caught her off guard. She takes a breath. A cork catches her eye in the back of the fridge, she pushes some bottles aside and pulls it out. Its wine. She reads the label carefully. Heath taps her on the shoulder, she looks up  
'That's for you' they return smiles. Heath puts his glass in the sink. Aria places the bottle on the bench, and opens a draw from underneath, looking for a cork screw. Heath reaches for the bottle  
'Let me help' he picks up the bottle in flicks the cork upward with his thumb and finger. It pops, and flies across the bench. Aria is shocked. Heath gives her a proud look and walks back to the group. She laughs. She won't get used to the strength thing. She takes a glass that's already on the bench and pours it full. She leaves the bottle on the bench and takes a sip. She's unsure what to do now. She looks behind her and wonders where the stair case leads. She decides to see, and she walks up stairs. At the top is a corridor lined with doors and a glass door at the end. She walks slowly down it. She notices a door cracked open with a light on. She looks inside, being silent. Its a bathroom. She shouldn't look. She won't. She backs away. She heads to the glass door at the end and opens it. The breeze hits her face. She walks up a few stairs in front of her. She's on the roof. She's breathless. Its beautiful, she can see all the way to the city from here. She walks to the edge and stands there, admiring the view. She grins. This is amazing. She stands there for a long while, sipping her wine. She's so relaxed. She hears the door open behind her. Jackson is back.  
'Hey'  
'Hi. I see you've found the roof.' He smiles  
'Yeah. Its so pretty up here.' She looks back out at the view. He stands beside her.  
'I also see you've found the wine' he chuckles and so does aria.  
'The guys downstairs seem to be having fun.'  
'Any excuse to drink' Jackson laughs. Its quiet for a moment. Aria feels a hand go around her waist. Jackson pulls her close for a hug. She smiles.  
'So... um...' aria begins. He looks down.  
'I know what happened the other day wasn't planned...' she takes a breath. 'But, I don't know... does that mean we're like, an item kinda thing?' Aria can't put sentences together properly. He kisses her on the head.  
'Do we need to be an official item?'  
'Well... no. But I was just thinking...'  
'Aria, you've only been here a week or two. We don't need to rush.' He kisses her head again then pulls away and walks back downstairs. Just like that.  
'Right. Well that didn't go as I'd hoped...' she rubs her head. She feels a little rejected.  
She also heads inside again. As she's walking down the corridor she hears banging and thumping noises. She frowns. _What_ _the..._ she walks down the stairs. Its hectic. Several guys are running super speed around the room, guys are shouting. She stops almost at the bottom of the stairs. She watches the mayhem. Its so loud, he ears are ringing. Shes stunned and scared. Jackson is in front of her at the door. He sees her and frowns  
'Aria get back!' He yells, he runs toward her, trying to push her up the stairs  
'Jackson stop! What's going... hey!' He's shoving her up the stairs backward, and she's in heels. This is dangerous.  
'You're gonna push me over, stop!' She yells as she pushes back against him, trying to force him down. She needs to know what's happening.  
Jackson extends his fangs. Aria is furious.  
'Don't you dare!' She shoves him back.  
'Aria, do you want to die?' He snarls.  
'Abso-freaking-lutely' she forces past him. She gets off the stairs and everything stops. Everyone freezes.  
Kai is in the middle of the room, frozen. Heath, Finn, Julian and the other warriors surround him, they're almost panting. Kais fangs are out and his eyes are red. Literally. His eyes are locked on her. He growls and smiles an evil smile.  
'So much for the bitch not being here!' He yells, looking at Heath. Every vamp in the room has their fangs out. Aria is offended. She frowns, about to confront him. She takes a step forward, but Jackson is in front of her  
'Jackson, fuck off-' he gives her a little shove backward to shut her up.  
'Kai, you're being a psycho...' Jackson says  
'No, see that's the thing. I'm not. I'm just being a normal, real vampire.' He laughs, proving jacksons point.  
'You have to go, don't make me force you'  
'She should be dead! She should be rotting!' He yells. Aria is shocked. She can't breathe, and she really is scared now. Jackson must sense it, he steps back and reaches behind him, placing a hand on her arm, still facing the others.  
'No she shouldn't.' Finn speaks up  
'Dude, you're fucking crazy! How much meth...' Kai cuts him off  
'None! Just two humans...' he stares at Jackson, he snarls in response.  
'You're protecting her like she means something to you. Don't make me puke all the fresh human blood I've had...' he laughs again. _He's_ _high_ _on_ _humans._ _He's_ _crazy!_  
'You don't need to do this. We can help you convert...'  
'No!' He screams. 'What's up, chief? Jealous cos' I nearly drank your girlfriend dry?' He spits. Arias heart drops. She feels like she'll be sick. Tears roll down her face. Jackson growls, and In an instant, Kai runs forward at Jackson. Their movement is a blur. Aria can't move. Suddenly Jackson goes flying across the room, and into the pool table head first. He slumps. In a second aria is against the wall. Kai has pinned her. Her feet dangle, Kai has her by the shoulders.  
'I never finished what I started. How rude of me' he grins. Aria and even move, but in her head she's screaming.  
Kai sinks his fangs into her neck. She screams, loud. It hurts; she then feels nails into her side, deep. Why isn't anyone helping? Aria says her goodbyes in her head she thinks this is the end.  
The sudden withdrawal of fangs and falling a foot to the ground brings aria back to reality. She opens her eyes. Kai is in front of her, mouth open covered in blood. Eyes glazed. She looks down and notices a sharp point of wood through his chest. His body turns grey, veins harden. The wood suddenly disappears, and Kais body falls dead to the ground. Jackson holds a bloody stake, which seems to be a leg of a coffee table. This when it hits her. She's numband a man is dead in front of her. Jackson drops the stake, just as her knees give way. He catches he before she hits the ground. She lands softly. She's fine. Jackson grabs her face.  
'aria! Fucking shit' he pulls her close and lays her back. The warriors are beside her.  
'Fuck!' Jackson puts his thumb against his fang and draws blood. He brushes it against the wound and heals the bite on her neck. Aria feels nothing. She knows what's happening though.  
'Jackson, her side.' Finn calls from above him. Jackson is frantic. He brings a wrist to his mouth and bites it, making blood gash out. He lifts aria a bit, and presses it against her mouth.  
Aria feels hot liquid fill her mouth. She has no choice but to swallow. Its sweet and delicious. Aria feels alive, full of energy, like she wants to run around all day. She comes to and recognises what's happened. She doesn't want to stop drinking. She grabs Jacksons wrist and presses it harder against her mouth. He gasps. Aria lavishes the sweet life being poured into her mouth. She takes mouthful after mouthful.  
'Jackson, make her stop.' Heath says. Jackson shifts on the floor  
'Aria you've healed now' he doesn't pull his arm away. She's on a high. She can't stop. Jackson is stern now.  
'Aria, stop.' He drags his arm from her grip. She sits upright, following it. He looks at his wrist, which heals in a second. Arias fully conscious now. She looks around. Jackson grabs her close to his chest, she buries herself into him. She mumbles against him.  
'I'm so sorry, I should've listened...'  
'Shush. You're okay and that's all that matters' his eyes well. Jackson pulls away. Aria looks down at herself. Her white lace shirt is stained red covered in holes.  
Julian hands her a glass of water. She smiles at him.  
'Hey, come here...' Jackson leans forward and wipes her mouth. She touches it too. She's covered in his blood. It finally clicks that she drank him.  
'Oh my god, I'm so sorry I didn't...' he cuts her off  
'Its okay. Don't stress.' She places her glass next to her untouched. She sees Kai on the ground. She freezes. She tries to calm down. She starts to hyperventilate. _He_ _nearly_ _killed_ _me..._ _twice..._ it clicks in her head. She bursts out crying, shaking violently. Everything's caught up to her now. Jackson hugs her tight.  
'He... but why...'  
'Let's talk about this later, okay. You need a shower.' She's still panting and shaking. Jackson turns to the guys.  
'Thankyou for everything. I appreciate it. Can we have a few minutes alone please?' The guys turn and leave. Finn says he's getting the headmistress. Jackson helps aria to her feet and ushers her upstairs. She glances at Kai again. He deserves to be dead.


	12. The Removal

They make it up the stairs. Aria can't feel anything, nor does she care. Jackson takes her to the bathroom. Aria stares into space.  
'Hey, step out of your shoes' aria looks down and steps out of them. She doesnt process what's happening.  
'You'll feel better if you shower.' Aria doesnt respond. Jackson steps in front of her.  
'Aria? ' she finally glances up.  
'Yeah?'  
'I won't let you be alone.' This really wakes her up.  
'I can do it, I'll be fine'  
'Do you trust me?' He asks. She stops for a moment.  
'Yes.'  
'I won't look, I promise. Youre just not all with it and you'll need help.' He turns the shower on. Aria tries to undo her shirt while he does, but her fingers agent working. Jackson comes back to her.  
'Let me help' jackson slides down the zipper on her shirt, exposing her back. Aria turns.  
'I dont want you to see.'  
'Im not looking.'  
'Can you just wait over there?" He nods and sits on the toilet. She turns her back to him and takes a breath. She takes off her pants, followed by her underwear then her bra. He can only see her back and shes okay with this. She steps into the shower, and blood washes off her straight away. The water is heavenly. She washes her face and side. Its been a hell of a day. She just wants to relax and take her mind off things. She looks over her shoulder at jackson. Hes looking down at his shoes. he does as hes told. She smiles. Hes so attractive. After a day like today she could use an attractive distraction.  
'Jackson?'  
'Yeah?' She looks again, hes still looking down. 'is everything okay?'  
'Well, I guess it is...'  
'What's up?'  
'Could you please come here for a moment?'  
'Okay...' hes a little weary.  
He walks over to the edge of the shower, aria has her back toward him.  
'You sure youre okay?' he asks.

Aria blinks. She wants this. She whirls around, grabs his face and kisses him. He gasps, but kisses her back. Aria really kisses him, he soon pulls away, eyes screwed shut.

'What are you doing?' He asks, confused. Shes feeling brave.  
'Its been a terrible day, I need a break, something to take my mind of things...' she says, looking at his tightly shut eyes.  
'No, this is the blood talking. Youre showering, I'm supervising and this is not happening right now...' he turns and tries to walk away. She grabs his shirt.  
'Dont, you'll make it wet.' He nearly turns around. Aria giggles. She almost hears him roll his eyes.  
'No, Aria this is not happening.' he wriggles out of her grip and heads to the door.

She feels rejected. she should have known. she rubs the side of her neck, and steps out of the shower when she hears him sit back down.

_why did i do that? that was so..._

Arias thoughts are interrupted by door downstairs opening. she temporarily forgets about her rejection.  
'How can I hear that?' she asks him, as she grabs a towel from under the basin. he still doesn't look at her, but he replies  
'Vampire blood does that' he stands and walks to the door. He listens for a few seconds. she almost expects him to turn around  
Instead he opens the door and walks out.  
'Wait here.' He says as he disappears.  
She looks in the mirror, to see another scar. she frowns.  
suddenly, Jacksons back in the room.  
'Chuck this on. Its not pretty but itll cover you...' he throws a denim long sleeve shirt at her. She catches it and turns, dropping her towel and buttons the shirt up. It goes half way down her thigh.  
'I dont have any underwear for you, so try not to flash anyone' he smiles at her  
'I wont' she laughs. Hes wearing jeans and a green T-shirt now, he changed while he was gone. They head downstairs.  
All the warriors are back, along with the headmistress. Aria gets a proper look at the body. Dead vampires are ugly.  
'My goodness, aria are you okay?' Victoria places a hand on her chest  
'Yes, headmistress I'm fine.'  
'Thats a relief! I can't believe one of my students is dead...' she looks down at Kais corpse. She shakes her head.  
'Headmistress, he was drinking her I couldn't...' Jackson starts to talk

she raises a hand. 'I know. You did the right thing and aria is safe.'  
Aria looks at all the blood on the ground. Even though so much bad has come from vampires, so much good has come too. Aria sits on the couch as Jackson and Victoria talk. She watches Julian and Finn drag the body from the room, just before she dozes off.


	13. The Commitment

When she wakes its dark. She looks at her phone, its 10pm. Shes slept for hours. She sits upright.

'Hey you.' Jackson comes out from the kitchen

'Hey' she rubs her eyes 'didnt mean to sleep for that long.'

'You needed it. Now that youre awake...' he picks up a suitcase at the front door.

'The headmistress decided it as best you stay with us for a while.' He smiles.

'What? Why? I'm safe now, hes dead.' Shes blunt

'We just want to be here to help you.' She nods

'Will you cook me food?'

'Its been a long time since I've cooked, but I'm sure heath would.' He grins

'Deal. Where do I stay?'

'In the room here. I've got everything you'll need for a few days while you were sleeping' he smiles

'Okay.' She stands and they both walk to her new temporary bedroom. It is a separate room off the common room. He puts the case at the foot of her bed. She looks around. This is the room he got changed in when he had paint on him. Aria realises this wasn't paint.

'Sorry there's no cupboard space. The guys put spare clothes in there.'

'Thats okay I'll live' she walks over to the bed and pulls back the covers.

'You should sleep' jackson say as he turns to leave.

'Wait, where are you going?'

'To my room?'

'I thought you were going to stay and protect me' she tries not to smile.

jackson walks over to her an kisses her forehead.

'I will always protect you. Today I got injured, I didnt protect you and I am so sorry.'

'I didnt mean that. I meant... stay here with me' she looks up at him. He smiles

'as much as I'd like to, its against school rules to sleep with another.'

'But youre a warrior, surely youre responsible enough to not have to obey those rules?' She frowns

'You need sleep, not to be distracted by me...' he chuckles

'Please stay? Tell the headmistress I was scared, or had a nightmare.' He sighs.

'Alright, fine. Just for tonight. Were only sleeping.' He winks at her. She giggles. She gets into the bed, still wearing jacksons shirt, and he gets into the opposite side. She lays down facing him, and he smiles at her. He places a hand on her face and kisses her. She wriggles closer.

'You'll freeze to death if you lie so close.'

'I dont care. I'm sure you love cuddles as much as I do. Or will...' she jokes with him

'Fine. Youre so stubborn. Freeze to death then, you'll probably turn...' she stops for a moment, but rolls over anyway. He wraps his arms around her and fits his body to hers. He kisses her neck.

'Goodnight Aria' she smiles

'Goodnight Jackson.' She let's darkness overcome her.

She opens her eyes. The room is bright and the place is silent. She looks around, then rolls over to see jackson. But hes not there. She sits up a bit. Where is he...

She throws of her covers and gets out of bed. She opens the door and heads into the kitchen. The place is empty. She looks around. The place is spotless and broken coffee tables and furniture has been replaced. She heads upstairs, and onto the roof. Aria sees jackson leaning on the railing where she was yesterday. He turns around and sees her, then faces back to the view.

'I thought you'd just gotten up and left me' she crosses her arms

'Sorry, I didnt mean to give you that impression.' He doesnt look at her.

'Okay...' she walks to him.

'What's going on?' She looks up at him. He keeps staring forward.

'You know this can't work, right?' Aria frowns

'What are you talking about?'

'Us. There can't be an "us"' he finally looks at her. Arias heart sinks.

'What? How can there not be an us? Yesterday was...'

'Dangerous. I put you in harms way and I hurt you.' Hes face is pained.

'No I put myself in harms way. You haven't hurt me.'

'Yet. If we were to be... if there was an "us"... it just wouldnt work.' He can't say what he wants to say properly.

'Why?' Arias beyond confused.

'I am a vampire, aria. I'm not this imaginary mysterious man from twilight. I kill things; I've killed people. Youre a human. Last night, your back was blue from where I was. Were the opposite. We can't ever sleep together, in both senses of the word. Not to mention all the other things' Hes getting frustrated with himself now.

'I dont care. I know youre a little different.' She smiles at him

'We can't share a meal together. We can't sleep together. We can't go anywhere without shit happening to you, all because youre a human and I'm not'

'Then make me like you.' He looks at her shocked. Hes literally stunned.

'It doesnt work like that. Not only have i only known you for a week or two, but its forbidden, even if I wanted to' he frowns at her.

'Stop making excuses.'

'This is not a life you want; being with me'

'If it wasn't then why would I have kissed you, or slept next to you?' She frowns.

'I dont know, maybe its just my blood.'

'Hell no!' She shouts 'this is real. I've felt like this since you first grabbed me in the hospital.' She looks down embarrassed. He says nothing, and looks away.

'Jackson please. I want an us. Why can't we try?'

'Because one day you will die.'

Aria stops breathing, for half a moment. Shes too shocked. He looks at her again.

Her eyes are welling up. 'W-what?'

'One day, you will die, and I will have to watch as they bury you. How could I do that?'

And aria thought that he didnt like her enough.

Jackson continues 'and I can't bring myself to turn you'

'We dont have to worry about that yet, let's just try and enjoy it' she tries to stay strong. He shakes his head.

'You'll be the death of me Aria' he sighs. He pulls her lips to his. Jackson has given in

'So... that means?' She asks when they break apart

'It means you are mine' he smiles a little. She shrieks with joy on the inside, but on the outside she grins widely. I have a boyfriend...

She can't wrap her head around it.


	14. The Bloodline

Aria is in her temporary room, and jackson left to do "a few things". Its late in the afternoon. She can't stop thinking about what the headmistress said at her dinner, the first night she was here.

"...welcome our new and valuable student to the academy..." she had said.

What did she mean? She stands from her bed, and leaves her room. She leaves the common room too and walks straight to the headmistresses' office. When she arrives, she peeks through the blinds, and sure enough Victoria is there, sitting at her desk. She knocks several times, and enters.

Victoria is writing in a hardcover book on her desk with a quill. The large white feather bobs around, and aria doesnt see how it wouldn't be distracting to her. Victoria looks up and puts the quill down gently.

'Good evening Aria. What can I help you with?' She smiles and she moves the book across her desk. The cover is almost the same colour as her desk. Aria takes a deep breath.

'Well, I actually have few more questions...' she days softly.

Victoria interrupts 'last time you were here, you caused quite a fuss. I do not want a repeat of this.' She folds her hands on her desk.

'I know, I promise I won't.'

'Then sit, and continue...' she waves to aria. She sits down opposite Victoria

'Well, first of all, why am I even here? I'm human, why didnt you just let me die?' She asks.

'Thats simple, you were hurt and no one could leave you there.' Victoria taps her nails on the desk.

'I dont believe you, you said at the dinner I was "valuable", what do you mean?' Aria replies quickly.

'Well, you look like our goddess, and I couldn't get over your uncanny similarities. When I first saw you, I felt like I'd known you for my entire life. There was... a sort of pull... and I haven't felt that in nearly 900 years.' Victoria looks down, the memory must be unpleasant.

Aria shakes her head 'I dont understand.'

'I haven't felt that pull since I last saw Isabella.' The headmistress looks up at her again.

'You met her?' Aria is shocked.

'Yes, Isabella turned me.'

The room goes silent. Victoria was the second vampire to exist in the entire world. She really is ancient!

'Thats stupid, I'm not Isabella...'

Victoria interrupts 'correct. I do however, believe that you are from Isabella's bloodline.'

Arias head spins. She thinks back to her time in the gallery with jackson, and the theories around Isabella's children. 'Its impossible.'

'No, its not. Isabella had an illegitimate child when she was 15 and before she was a vampire. A little girl, she told me. But it was taken away. You could, and I believe you are, a descendant.'

'So what if I am. I'm human, it means nothing to me...' aria tries to sound like she doesnt care.

'It means everything to us. If my prediction is correct, when you become a vampire, you will be one of; if not the most valuable and special vampire in the world.' She preaches

Bingo, there it is. I'll be a vampire one day...

'What? Why?' She doesnt even question the vampire bit.

Victoria takes a deep breath 'i knew her a human. She was a strong human, emotionally and physically then. Becoming a vampire enhanced her genes. Isabella had powers no other vampire, including myself, ever had. She could move things with her hands without physically touching them. I watched her once as she threw men at trees with a flick of her wrist...' she smiles. 'She could move faster than normal vampires; almost double their speed. She was excellent at climbing trees too...' Victoria rubs her head. 'When she disappeared, I felt the same pull I did with you. Like I needed to be with her. I think you will be like her.'

Aria can't process this. She yells, 'I dont want to be special! I want to be a vampire like Jackson, but nothing more!' She slams her hands on the desk and the chair skids out from underneath her.

'Aria you promised not to...' Victoria starts, but aria keeps yelling.

'My life is a complete fucking joke because of you and your "goddess"!' she spits. 'I dont want the special stuff! I just want to make friends and be with Jackson!' She storms out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Isabella was real. After everything said to aria, she believes it all. Being at this school has made her open minded. She runs as fast as she can back to her room. She throws open the common room door and runs to her bed. She flops herself face-down onto the pillows and sobs, until she can barely breathe. Suddenly she feels a hand pressed against her back. She rolls slowly onto her side.

'What's going on Aria?' Jackson asks her in an urgent tone.

She sniffs 'why do you always show up when I look like a drowned rat?' She says. He laughs a little

'Because my blood hasn't left your system yet. Its made a link, so I can find you and feel when you need me' he rubs her arm. 'Now tell me.'

'I went to see Victoria while you were gone. She told me why she let me stay.' She rubs her eyes.

'And?'

She pauses. 'I'm related to Isabella. She turned Victoria' she says softly

Jacksons face scrunches, like hes disgusted with the idea. 'No, its not...'

'It is. She personally told Victoria she had a child. Shes my ancestor and apparently that means when I'm a vampire, I'll be "special"'

'If you become a vampire, Aria.'

'No, when I become one. Victoria practically guaranteed I would be one eventually.' Aria begins to cry again. Jackson scoops her into his arms and he strokes her hair.

'I won't let it happen. I won't, Aria...' he mumbles as she falls asleep against his chest.


	15. The Friend

aria isolated herself for the next few days, only coming out of her room to do the basic things to keep herself alive. She was tired of constantly being given bad news. Jackson spent most of his time with her as well, telling her stories of his day. He made her smile whenever he could, and she appreciated his efforts.

When she decided enough was enough, she left her room and headed towards Isabella's Courtyard. Jackson wasn't with her, she assumed he was hunting again. She tries not to think about that as she passes under the brick arch. She brushes her fingers against the brick. She feels good to be out again. She gets almost to the gate, when she hears yelling in the distance. If I go and see something bad is almost guaranteed to happen...

She ditches her plan and follows the chanting. She walks around a tall building near the gate, which she remembers to be the Girls Dorm and she finally sees what's going on.

Tens of people crowd around something. Aria knows its a fight, and she forces herself to move closer. She gets to the back of the crowd and tries to squeeze through, but only manages to get past a few people. She stands on her toes and sees two girls, one with long orange hair and another with a brown ponytail, punching each other. Most of its a blur, as they move at superspeed, but aria tries to keep up. The spectators chant and yell, encouraging the girls to fight more. Aria is stunned, she wants to intervene. She notices the blood splatters on the ground.

Something jabs her in the ribs.

'Hey! Its about time something interesting happened here right?' A girl elbows her and she looks up. Shes tall and slender, with pale skin and shoulder length black hair. Her bright green eyes seem to glow. Its a weird combination, but shes beautiful. The girl is yelling to be heard.

'Uh, yeah. What's going on?' Aria asks loudly. The girl laughs.

'Something about a boyfriend. Typical right?' Even vampires have silly girl fights...

'I'm Harlequin...' She continues. 'Jacksons told me about you! Its good to finally meet you!' She smiles at aria. Aria doesnt know what to say, and she must sense the awkwardness

'its a mouthful to say, my parents were hippies. Just call me Harley!'

Aria nods. Shes named after the colour of her eyes, this makes aria laugh a little on the inside.

A loud scream interrupts her laughing. She turns back to see the girl with the ponytail on the ground, limbs bent at impossible angles. She is grey, her veins are black and prominent. The crowd stops cheering, and no one says a word. The girl is dead; she looks just like Kai did.

Aria steps back and bumps into Harley. Neither of them say anything, they just stand stunned. They never expected this.

The girls hear a low growl; in fact the entire crowd does. Suddenly everyone is scattering, bodies blurred as they disappear one by one.

'Time to go...' Harley says, as she grabs arias arm. Aria pulls back. I'm not going anywhere with this random crazy...

Harley tugs harder, 'if you dont wanna be expelled for watching this, you might wanna listen and come with me.'

Aria nods, and they run as fast as they can to wherever their feet take them.

When they stop, aria is painting. She wasn't paying attention to where they were running, but they're in the Lobby. Harley is laughing

'Yes! Finally something new happens here!' She says in between bursts of laughter.

Aria shakes her head. She doesnt even know this girl, and shes already been saved from expulsion by her.

'That girl is dead, they weren't just pulling each others hair, shes dead!' Aria yells.

'Unfortunately thats vampire life for ya, when someone starts a fight they dont stop until someone's dead.' Harley's serious now.

'What? Thats crazy!'

'What's crazy is the fact that you haven't been eaten yet' Harley says quickly, her face blank. Aria stares at her.

'Thats not funny. Fuck, I dont even know you...' aria walks toward the common room.

'Aria wait I'm only joking. Im not the best around new people...' aria turns to see her scratching her head.

She sighs. 'Yeah me too...'

'Look, jackson told me about you and I wanted to meet you. Now that I have, I see friend potential...' Harley says in a playful tone. Aria laughs

'Even though I'm human?'

'Yeah, I can get past that.'

They both laugh, and walk to the common room. Aria plops herself on the couch when they arrive, and relaxes knowing she has yet another friend to turn to.


	16. The Trip

_**(NB: I know in the beginning I never specified a location as to where this was set. I did it on purpose, but now I regret it. So, I will go back and change the first chapter and add the location for new readers. For regulars, I've set the location to Forks, WA, USA which is where Twilight was set. Hope it makes sense now!)**_

The girls arrive at the common room. Aria is beginning to relax, she thinks Harley is a rather normal person; shes just outgoing. Harley throws open the door and runs into the room before throwing herself onto the couch. Aria walks in slowly, shocked by Harleys entrance. She stands in the door way and watches her hug Heath on the couch. Hes laughing  
'Hey! What are you doing here? Since when do you drag yourself away from your computer?' Heath jokes around with her.  
'Since I heard a fight at my window and ran into the new girl' she smiles at aria. Heath smiles.  
'I shouldve guessed' he shakes his head. Julian is also on the couch. He just stares at her  
Something grabs arias hand and she spins around to see jackson. He pecks her on the cheek.  
'Hey. What are you doing here?' He asks her  
'I met your friend. She came here with me.' Aria smiles softly.  
'Wait... what?' He steps around her and stops just inside the door, aria follows. She can see his face is hard and angry. He glares at Harley, who straightens on the couch.  
'What are you doing here? Get out.' He growls, his fangs sliding from his gums when he finishes talking. Aria grabs his hand, she doesnt know if he going to attack or not. She stands  
'I'm just saying hello. I haven't seen the guys in...' jackson growls again.  
'I dont care. I told you to get out.' Harley doesnt move. He snarls, and aria shakes out of nervousness. _What_ _is_ _going_ _on..._  
'Get. Out.' He repeats. Harley looks behind her and says a silent goodbye. She walks past him without looking at him, and suddenly shes gone. The room is silent. Aria looks at the guys on the couch. In an instant, Jackson storms off into arias new room, and she sees the door slam behind him.  
'What the hell?' She asks. Heath shakes his head. Aria walks to her room and opens her door slowly.  
Jackson is sitting on her bed. She walks inside and sits next to him.  
'What was that?' She asks quietly and cautiously. He looks up at her  
'I dont want you near her.' He says sternly.  
'Why? Shes nice, she actually helped me at the fight...'  
'You watched it?' Hes shocked.  
'Yes, I heard yelling so I went to have a look.'  
'Youre an idiot.' He says quickly. Aria looks down, it hurt her but she decides not to dwell on it now.  
'Tell me why.' She puts a hand on his knee.  
He sighs. 'Harley. She turned me.'  
Aria stiffens. _Holy_ _shit..._  
He continues, 'we knew each other before she was turned. When it happened to her, I was there for her. One day she snapped, and she took away everything that meant anything to me. She stole my human life and hate her for it. I have never, nor will ever forgive her for it.' He shakes his head and let's it hang toward the ground. He wraps his arm around her waist and she rests against his shoulder.  
'Thats why I won't let it happen to you.' He kisses her hair.  
Her poor boy has had it hard. She sighs and holds him.  
He suddenly changes the subject. 'I was cleaning out Kais room today.' Aria shivers.  
'I can imagine that would've been good.' She says sarcastically.  
'I spent most of the day with Victoria actually. We were discussing some things we found there.'  
she pulls back and looks at him.  
'What did you find?'  
'It was like a scene from a crime movie. He literally had a corkboard with photos and string. It was messed up...' he rubs eyes.  
Aria punches him in the arm, and he looks at her confused. 'Tell me what was on it!'  
'Steady on. Victoria knew a man from a picture at the top. she said his name is William and she thinks it was a family tree. You were at the bottom.'  
'William? I dont know anyone named William in my family history...'  
'Thats because hes a vampire and hes super old. He was like Isabella; he was a father before he was turned. But he is the grandson of Isabella. Victoria says he has the same powers Isabella possessed; thats how she knows hes a descendant, besides the "pull" she feels around him and you.'  
Aria flops backwards so shes laying on the bed. 'So hes like my great great great granddad?'  
'More like your 20 times over great grandad. Thats why hes not on your tree. He can't be traced back that far, especially now hes a vampire.'  
Aria sighs. 'This goes way over my head.' _I have a vampire granddad..._

Jackson lies back with her and rolls onto his side.

'It seems confusing, but what we discovered from it all is that your granddad must still be alive. Kai has obviously been breaking our laws and having meetings with him about you. They've made the same connection Victoria has, but i dont think they find you valuable like we do here.' he places a hand on Arias waist.

'So they want me dead?' she frowns

'I dont know what they want. But if we find him or whoever else is with him, we might find out.' Jackson moves his hand from her waist to her cheek and kisses her. aria pulls back for a moment and props herself up on an elbow.

'I'm sorry about Harley. i thought she was nice, i kinda wanted a female friend.'

'I just dont want what happened to me to happen to you. Humans get so many privileges that vampires dont, and you dont realise that until you dont have them anymore.'

aria nods as she lays back down next to him. she wriggles close to him, hes cold but she doesn't mind.

'I want to find him. i want to find him so i can stop worrying all the time and have more moments like these...' she mumbles into his chest as she gradually falls asleep.

The sun is rising when aria wakes up. the light hurts her eyes, but she sits up anyway. she slept across the bed for the entire night. The bed is still made and tucked in at the sides. Jackson is no where to be seen. _again..._

She stands and walks into the kitchen, where Jackson has the fridge wide open.

'I wish you'd stop doing that.' she says as she folds her arms. Jackson is startled.

'Like i said, sleeping next to me is like sleeping next to an ice-pack. Why are you up so early?'

'My body clock is all weird. Besides, now that we're up we can go and find this William...' aria steps toward the fridge, hoping theres food inside. it is a vampire school after all. she shoves things around inside until she finds some eggs. she pulls them out, stunned. Jackson laughs, 'Well, you're living here now so we stocked human food.' aria laughs too.

After her massive breakfast of eggs on toast, she showers, dresses and cleans up her breakfast mess before sitting back down on the couch. Jackson walks back in to the common room; hes been getting organized too.

'when are we going?' aria asks

'We cant just _go._ we have to ask to leave the grounds, and chances are if we get permission, we'll need to take the others with us. we dont even know where he is.'

'Thats stupid! We dont need their help...'

Heath shouts from the pool table across the room. 'Ouch, Aria, right in the feelings!' aria just glares at him

'Look, ill go up and see what i can do. stay here and dont do anything dumb, okay?' he pecks her on the forehead and then he leaves.

after about half an hour of aria watching ridiculous TMZ, Jackson returns. He waves at Heath Finn and Julian as he walks over to the couch. they follow and sit down, frowning with confusion.

'Well, we're all going on road trip.' he says. the guys sigh in unison.

'What? why?' aria asks stunned.

'Well, Victoria spent her night rummaging through Kais' stuff. she made some calls too. She thinks he may be as far east as Helena; but hes most likely hiding in Portland after Kai never checked in with him. It would be easy to hunt there too, especially if he has powers.' Jackson readjusts his clothes.

'So we have to come too? its hours away' Finn sprawls on the couch.

'Victoria said we couldn't alone. if something went wrong...' Jackson looks at aria, who sighs.

'Anyway, its about four and a half hours away, and its still early. we could leave today if we didn't stuff around.' he looks at the guys who nod reluctantly. Jackson looks at aria

'Ive never been outside of Washington.' she says quietly.

'That doesn't matter...' Jackson says. '...its safer there for vampires. most vampires have friends there.'

'I do. I haven't seen them in almost 50 years!' Heath says. hes excited. Aria laughs.

'Alright, we'll leave in two hours. Guys take what you need. Heath, talk to Victoria about a car. Aria, come with me...' he gives out the orders quickly and drags Aria to her feet. she likes Jackson acting like the leader. she finds it attractive. The warriors start heading off in their own directions as he leads her back into her room. he clicks the door shut, and kisses her. his arms wind around arias waist as she runs her fingers through his hair. He starts to move his kisses across her cheek and down to her neck, and she pulls back.

'Whats all this?' she asks, looking down at him. His grin softens a little.

'I dont know when ill get another chance to kiss you properly for a while. i had to take my opportunity now.'

aria laughs, before she pushes him away. he smiles at her as she grabs stuff from the bathroom. _I need to find William._


	17. The Hotel

'Can we eat please?' Aria says as she turns up the heat in the car. The windows are fogging up now. Jackson is driving and the guys are squished in the back seat. Their knees are pressed against the front seats because they're so tall. Finn is asleep against the left window and the others are on phones and tablets, ear phones in.  
'We're literally like an hour away, can you wait.?' Jackson says taking his eyes off the road for just a moment to look at her. She rolls her eyes.  
'Its lunch time and I have to eat three times a day, Mr Vampy...' she laughs a little at him.  
'The sooner we get there the sooner you can eat so stop distracting me, youre making me drive slow.' He winks at her.  
they drive for just over another hour when the trees disappear and are replaced with buildings.  
'Oh my God, about time!' Aria says as she wipes the window next to her with her sleeve. The guys wake up and examine the view as well. People walk the streets wearing trench coats and carrying umbrellas. Aria looks at the sky scrapers in the distance as they drive across a long bridge above water. She cant stop smiling; its her first time out of the state. Jackson smiles at her.  
'This place is hardly exciting. Newbie traveller...' Finn says as he rubs his eyes. Aria reaches behind her and punches his knee.  
Jackson pulls into a car park next to a small red roofed building.  
'Youre eating then were finding a place to stay. Nothing else okay?' He says as aria steps out of the car. He hands her a ten dollar note.  
'Yes, sir...' she smiles at him.  
she pulls her coat around her. Its cold this time of year. She walks into the small diner which is lined with red seats. She orders fries and a coke and sits down to eat. Thoughts swirl in her head as she eats. _What_ _does_ _he_ _even_ _look_ _like?_ _How_ _can_ _we_ _possibly_ _find_ _him?_ _What_ _if_ _he tries_ _to_ _kill me?_  
She eventually finishes and gets back in the car. Jackson puts his phone away  
'Was it good?' He asks  
'Yes. Fatty and disgusting, my favourite.' She laughs.  
'I called a hotel five minutes up the road. Is that okay?' He looks at her  
'Sure. Better than sleeping in the car.'

Jackson drives them to the hotel and they grab their bags and head inside. Jackson walks up to the reception desk as aria sits on a couch in the lobby. it reminds her of the academy, but this is much more modern. Pillars and black and white floors are in every direction with a staircase in the middle of the room. Heath sits on her armrest.

'Its pretty nice, hey?' he sighs looking up at the glass roof.

'How can you afford this? is it paid by the school?' she asks him

'Nah. Jacksons been working most of his vampire life up until he arrived at the academy. hes loaded.' heath laughs. arias mouth drops. _hes paying for this himself... _

she stands and quickly walks over to the desk. Jackson is saying something about food when she tugs on his hand. he stops talking.

'I'm not letting you pay for this. you've already bought me a laptop and phone, and gave...'

he holds up a hand to her. she glares at him as the woman behind the desk hands back a credit card.

'Too late.' he says quickly before picking up his bag and walking up stairs. aria stands there stunned as she watches him walks away. The guys follow and Heath waves at her to follow as well.

The come to their room, and Jackson opens the door. Its like the warriors common room, but each room extends off the side. the main room is elegant and classy, with a fireplace on one side of the room.

'Sweet!' Heath says as he heads toward a room. Julian and Finn follow into their own rooms before closing the doors behind them. aria looks at Jackson

'They hate these spontaneous trips. Last time we went on one of these, Julian got distracted and drank from a human. He arrived back at school to a waiting jail cell.' he says.

'Wow. I didn't know there was a jail at the school?' she frowns.

'Yeah, its in the basement...' he says as he heads towards the last open bedroom door. She shakes her head, she didnt know there was one of those either.

she follows him into the room. in the middle there is a small platform with a king-size bed. a full length window taking up an entire wall on one side of the room and what looks like an en-suite on the other.

'I thought this had a separate room...' Jackson says as he looks around. 'I booked it with enough for all of us.'

'It doesn't matter.' aria says quietly. Jackson looks at her, and she is smiling.

'Not happening...' he says as he walks straight back out of the room. he drops his bag on to the floor next to the couch and he sits. she looks at him.

'Why are you so anti-everything? cant you just relax a little?' she says leaning against the door frame.

'If i relaxed for even a second, you'd be dead.' he says without making eye contact. 'Ill sleep here. The receptionist said dinner is included and it starts at 5 onwards.' he sounds bored. he reclines on the couch and closes his eyes.

'Its only 2. Do you expect little uncultured me to stay here for three hours while you sleep?' she says flustered.

he opens his eyes. 'Aria, please just let me have a break.'

'Can i go out?'

'Do whatever you want...'

Aria drops her bag in the doorway and leaves immediately. Hes so nice most of the time, then hes just an ass for the rest. she walks straight back out the door she came in and into the street. People are everywhere, shes never seen anything like it. she turns right and walks towards the biggest buildings she can find.

after what seems like hours she arrives at a shopping center. Several clothes stores line the walls and she can smell Chinese food from the entrance. she walks inside and follows the shop fronts around the center. she examines everything, shes never seen so much variety in one place. she walks into H&M, and searches through tens of racks of clothes. she has no money but shes curious. a hand touches her shoulder; Heath appears behind her.

'What are you doing here?' she says loudly

'I heard you leave and theres no way you're wandering around Portland by yourself. this is like, vampire capital...' he whispers in her ear. she laughs.

'Its a nice store right?' he asks

'Yeah, it is. I'm glad i have you here cos' i have no idea what this place even sells' she laughs

'Luckily for you, i am a fashion expert.' Heath struts off toward yet another rack.

After a few hours of shopping and $450 later Heath and Aria walk back to the hotel. Hes been telling her hilarious stories from his childhood the entire walk. He had bought her all these clothes without blinking an eyelid. Hes just as wealthy as Jackson.

They open the hotel door and walk in, still laughing. Jackson is standing in front of the fire and Julian and Finn are sitting on the couch opposite him. They look at Aria as she places her bags next to the door.

'You guys missed out on a great shopping experience.' Heath says happily as he walks back into his room. Jackson stares at aria

'You went shopping?' he asks

'Yeah. It was fun. Thanks for accompanying me...' she folds her arms and walks into her room. shes still mad at him from earlier. she closes her door. she quickly throws herself into the shower and washes her hair. she examines the bathroom as she steps out. everything is white. shes never seen anything so clean. she wraps a towel around her tucking it into itself and adjusts her hair before walking into the bedroom.

Jackson is standing in the middle of the room.

'What?' she asks.

'Im sorry. you make me nervous...' he says as he walks towards her. she steps back.

'You frustrate me, you know? half the time you're amazing and nice and funny...' she stumbles over her words. '...And the other half you're a complete ass. I'm tired of you being against everything. can you try to not take your mood swings out on me please?' she sighs as she walks over to her bag on the end of the bed.

'Aria I'm just trying to protect you.' he pivots as she moves, following her with his eyes.

she whirls around 'From what! Honestly, i dont need this much protecting.' she shovels throw her suitcase.

'From me.' he says quietly. aria shakes her head

'I'm not worried about you! i dont need to protect myself around you.' she says

Suddenly he is behind her with his hands on her waist. She looks down, making sure he doesn't rip her towel off.

'This always happens. I get mad and you do this...' she moves his hands away. '...Or something else and i just forget all about it.' she walks away from him. he grabs her arm and drags her backward towards him, and he kisses her. he places his free hand on her neck and moves it through her damp hair and she caves in. _again... _she wraps her arms around his waist.

In an instant he pulls away. At super-speed he closes the bedroom door and kisses her again. he pushes her backward towards the bed. her heart pounds, and shes worried he can hear it. she stops

'I don't want to...' she starts to talk but he interrupts her.

'We're not. Its not possible with a human.' he says. she tilts her head

'I need to be able to sense you. I realized when you left today i made a mistake. If i can know you're safe i wont feel so protective of you if you go somewhere without me...'

she looks at him. 'What?'

'I want you to take my blood' he says calmly

she shakes her head 'Hell no! Not after last time, its too weird...' she says, walking over and sitting on the bed.

'I wont feel safe in this city until you do and neither will you. we have no idea whats going to happen here.' he says.

she looks down as he sits next to her.

'I know its weird' he says 'but i want you to be safe.'

_this is gonna be weird as hell... _she knows deep down she'll feel safer too. she nods slightly.

he brings his wrist up to his mouth and aria sees his fangs slide out. he jabs them into his wrist before withdrawing them. two small trails of blood are left. she looks at him and his mouth is stained with blood. he offers it to her.

_Here goes... _she lowers her mouth. blood spills into her mouth and she cant believe what shes doing. she swallows, knowing he can probably sense the way shes feeling.

She hears a growl low in his throat and she looks up at him. Jacksons fangs are still out, his eyes are harsh. she drops his wrist, and it heals in a second. he retracts his fangs as he wipes his arm on his jeans.

'Its weirdly attractive seeing you with blood on your face.' he says as he leans backwards on the bed. _that was the weirdest thing ive ever done in my life... _she wipes her mouth on her sleeve. she shakes her head and lays down next to him.

'Im probably going to fall asleep here. can you please promise me you wont leave? for me...'

he sighs 'Okay, i promise. But if you're going to sleep now, you stay under the covers and ill stay on top.' he shifts and she wriggles in. she can deal with that.

'Thank you.' she says. the bed is already warm, and as she falls asleep she realizes the electric blanket is turned on. _he knew I'd ask him to stay with me... _she smiles as she drifts off to sleep next to Jackson.


	18. The Heard Prayer

Arias eyes open and she instantly rolls over. Jackson is sitting against the back board of the bed smiling at her.

'You thought id left, didn't you?' he says. she rubs her eyes and groans

'Yeah, but I'm glad you're still here...' she says as she moves her arm around his waist. he laughs

'While you were shopping yesterday, the boys and i were discussing William...' he says as he pulls out a picture from his jacket. he hands it to her. the man in the photo is wearing a long trench coat and scarf. He has jet black hair and red eyes.

'Is that him?' she asks

'Yeah. Julian found some old friends on the edge of the city, and they've seen William hunting in the area. Apparently they didn't react too well when they were told about his relation to Isabella...' he shakes his head.

'so he is here?'

'Yep. theres a mountain about half an hour out of town. If hes living anywhere, its probably there. So thats where we're going.' he says as he slips off the bed. aria sits up.

'This makes me scared as hell...' she says as she stands as well. she throws on the warmest clothes she finds in her bag. she hears Jackson waking up the warriors. they all swear at him and she laughs.

Aria heads into the main room to find all the guys dressed and ready to go.

'We need to be prepared for anything and everything.' Jackson says. Heath shakes his head

'What happens if this goes pear-shaped...' Heath says, looking at his feet. he sways on his heels.

Aria shudders. _what happens if i die..._

Jackson wraps an arm around her waist and kisses her hair.

'Like i said, we have to be ready. William wants her for something and i wont allow him to get it.' he walks out the door with everyone in tow.

Aria shakes the entire car trip, not just from the cold but from her nerves. Its silent the entire way, until they all get out of the car. theyre parked at a wooden fence at the foot of the mountain. Pine trees are everywhere and the peak is covered in snow. its beautiful yet frightening. _I could die today..._

'I dont want to ask this, but at the same time i do...' Julian says as he closes the car door behind him. He looks at Jackson.

'...if this all goes wrong, are you asking us to give our lives for her?' he continues.

Arias eyes well up.

'No! no way! i am not asking anyone to do that! I'm just a normal human, I'm not special...' she yells, before she cant speak anymore. tears roll down her cheeks and Jackson walks around the car to hug her.

'Relax, its not going to come to that...' he leads her through the gate. He glares at Julian. they walk up a small dirt trail past a lake. Aria admires it, wiping her face with her sleeves so she can see.

'Its beautiful.' she says breathless.

'It is.' Jackson says, squeezing her hand tighter. the boys follow along behind in silence. they walk for about half an hour before Jackson stops. he drops her hand and stands perfectly still. aria turns and the other warriors have stopped too. her heart stops

'What?' she asks turning back to jackson. he lifts a hand and shushes her. her heartbeat quickens.

when he finally lifts his head, he looks at her.

'Hes here.' he whispers taking her hand in his again. The warriors dont move. Aria knows they can hear him, but she cant. she listens carefully. Birds and wildlife is all she can here, other than the forced breathing of the warriors.

Suddenly she can hear footsteps, the thuds come at consistent pace. someone is running. she looks at Jackson just as his fangs slide out of his gums. he snarls, whipping his head to the right. the other warriors snarl too, and Aria turns.

Hes there.

Standing twenty meters in front of them is a tall man with massive white fangs, dark hair and red eyes. _William..._

'So pleased you know of me.' he says. his voice is deep and threatening. Aria knows he can read her mind. he can probably read the warriors minds too.

He chuckles 'I am honestly surprised my men haven't found you before now. i knew they were incompetent; but to this extent is ridiculous...' he scratches his head. 'I had full faith in Kai to complete my task. now it seems i get to do it myself...' He looks at aria and his eyes narrow. Aria cant breathe. she clings to Jackson, and he stiffens.

'It is unfortunate...' Jackson says sternly.

William looks at him. 'I could have killed you by now, but i find your confidence amusing. So unusual in someone as young as yourself.' He steps forward and all the warriors snarl again.

'This is my granddaughter.' he says as a matter of fact. _great great great..._ Aria begins to count but gives up. He eyes her off. Aria wants to talk, but resists.

'Why try to kill your own blood?' Jackson asks him.

William shrugs 'Ive never had to before. Creating more members in my bloodline was a mistake. I understood the extent of my mistake when she met you. i keep track of all my family. My descendants have never met vampires before, so i have never had to alter my family tree until now. If she had not have been in vampire territory and if she had not met you; we would not be here at this present moment. No one would know what powers she could possess and I would not have to kill her.' he says, pulling a fake sad face.

'There can only be one vampire descendant of my Grandmother. She gave _me_ the gift.' William starts to pace.

Aria cant move. She knows he drinks from humans by the colour of his eyes. _I dont want to die..._

William laughs again, 'Oh Aria, Its your fault we are here.'

Aria snaps, 'I dont even remember why i was in those woods!' she yells as loud as she can. Jackson shoves her backward with one arm.

William speaks again. 'Of course you dont. I tried to save you from walking into those woods. I compelled you to forget; But people with Isabellas' blood dont forget _what _they're doing, they only forget _why...' _

she gasps. _Ive met him before and dont even remember. He tried to help me?_

Tears stream down her face again.

He continues, 'I'm not stupid enough to take advantage of my blood. She's a young petty girl who wont be as smart as i am! She would make more!' William yells at them.

Suddenly snarls and growls come from every direction as she sees Heath run at him. it happens in the blink of an eye. Heath tries to make contact but William tosses him aside like he is weightless. His body flies through the air and his head connects with a tree, snapping his neck, and he falls to the ground. Aria screams.

'Stop!' Jackson shouts. hes further in front of Aria now, she feels so vulnerable.

William grins, his fangs are bigger than Jacksons. she noticed them before anything else.

'We don't want Aria becoming a vampire just as much as you...' Jackson says stepping towards him. Aria looks at him stunned.

He continues '... And we dont want anymore injuries. We just want to leave here in one piece.'

She knows hes trying to take the safe option out. In her head, she crosses her fingers. She hasn't moved a muscle.

William frowns 'No! she will end up like you one day!'

William runs towards Jackson as he, Julian and Finn run toward him. She cant see anything except white and red. she knows its bad. she manages to step back, she tells herself to run but she cant. she backpedals towards a tree before her legs stop working again. her vision is blurred from the tears. _I dont want them to die! Don't let them die!_

Aria is helpless. she cant run, but she cant stay. she screws her eyes shut.

A loud growl echoes on the mountain. its almost a roar, its so animal-like. She opens her eyes just as something hits her torso. She stumbles backwards.

Gut-wrenching pain seeps through her body and an incredible speed. She cant inhale. her hands fly towards her waist and she looks down.

A knife protrudes from her stomach just above her navel. blood soaks through her coat leaving a ring around the golden coloured handle.

she falls forward, her hands moving just in time to stop her face from hitting the ground. On all fours, she manages to scream. its bloodcurdling and haunting. black spots appear in her eyes.

'Fuck!' Jackson screams as Aria topples onto her side.

The pain is unbearable. _Jackson... _is the last thing that goes though Arias mind before it goes blank.

The fighting stops. William lies on the ground, his body bloody and his head ripped from his body. His corpse is gray and stiff. Finn and Julian look up to see Jackson run towards Aria. They slowly follow, hope drains from them the closer they get.

Jackson scoops her into his arms. Blood streaks his face, and its only his own. He yells, touching the knife in her belly. he doesn't take it out.

'Fuck! Shit! Where did that come from?!' he yells, shaking her head. Her eyes dont open. His fingers move to her neck, searching unsuccessfully for a pulse.

Heath appears beside them. Hes finally come to. He holds up his hand and Julian and Finn dont come any closer. instead they turn back to Williams corpse and light it on fire.

'Do it.' Heath says calmly. Jackson looks up at him, his lip quivering. he says nothing.

'Do it, Jackson. Think about what she wants...' He repeats himself, before removing the knife in one quick motion. Jackson lets out a garbled cry as he bites his wrist multiple times. Several lines of blood appear. He presses his arm against her wound, so hard he cracks a rib. He doesn't pull back, he keeps his arm still as his blood runs into her body. They all seem to be frozen. Not a sound is made. minutes pass.

'Oh please Isabella...' Jackson finally screams as he takes his wrist away. His tears have begun to dry on his face.

Heath takes Arias hand in his and massages her palm. He doesn't look at Jackson. He knows he will cry too if he does. Finn and Julian look down, knowing they've also lost a good friend.

Jackson finally looks at Arias face, her eyelids smooth and her lips pressed together. He looks at her hair, and her pale cheeks. They used to always be pink. He looks at the little dint in her chin, and her jaw. He looks at her neck. He blinks several times clearing his eyesight.

'Its gone.' he whispers. He brushes her hair away from her shoulders and neck.

'Jackson, we're...' Heath looks at him.

'No!' He shouts. 'Her scar! Her scar is gone! Its healed!' he touches the spot where two pink marks used to be; where Kai had bitten her.

Heath leans over her body. 'Oh my god...' he says before he brings his palm up to his face and rubs his eyes with it.

Jackson stands with Aria in his arms. 'Thank you Isabella. Thank you...' he whispers. Finn and Julian follow along behind Jackson and Heath as they carry Aria back to the car.

Jackson smiles as he carefully puts Aria in the back seat, knowing that in a few days she would wake up.

She would be a Vampire Prodigy.

_**THE END**_

_**THANKS FOR READING! PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK FOR THE SEQUEL!**_

s/10396575/1/St-Nightfalls-Academy-A-Vampire-Prodigy-Sequel 


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